H.E. Ambassador Katalin Bogyay, Permanent Representative of Hungary to the United Nations delivered a statement at the Open Debate of the UN Security Council on Children and Armed Conflict on 25 March 2015.
The debate was organized by the French Presidency of the Security Council and focused on children victims of non-State armed groups. The Council was briefed on recent developments by Ms. Leila Zerrougui, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Ms Yoka Brandt Deputy Director Executive of UNICEF, Mr. Junior Nzita, former child soldier in the DRC and President of the NGO Paix pour l’Enfance, and Ms. Julie Bodin, Child protection advisor of Save the Children in Central African Republic.
In her statement, Ambassador Bogyay highlighted that 2014 has been the worst year for children in many years as the proliferation of conflicts around the world affected tens of millions of children. Impunity continues to be deeply entrenched and most perpetrators are never held accountable for the war crimes they committed. Hungary fully supports the campaign “Children, Not Soldiers”, launched by the Special Representative and UNICEF last year. Ambassador Bogyay added that Hungary is deeply concerned that attacks on schools and hospitals have become a common feature in most armed conflicts, putting children at peril and impeding their access to education and health services. “We must continue to raise our voice against these heinous crimes and call for the immediate release of the schoolgirls”, Ambassador Bogyay concluded.
To read the full statement delivered by Ambassador Bogyay, please click here.
