Statement during the interactive dialogue with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict (16.3.2022)

"Greece aligns with the EU statement and expresses its full support for the mandate of the Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict and thanks her for her update.

The impact of armed conflict is made tragically obvious as war rears its ugly head on this very continent.

Holding this debate in the Human Rights Council could hardly be more timely, as indiscriminate attacks cause victims among civilians and civilian infrastructure, and as proper humanitarian corridors, including in Mariupol, can't even be put in place, in defiance of IHL. The lives of children in Ukraine, of those that will manage to survive, are forever marked by the multiple trauma they live through. All because the most core values that we thought we all shared are blatantly disregarded in a way that defies all reason.

We share the deep concern expressed by the Special Representative regarding the scale and severity of grave violations committed against children. Obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law cannot be ignored.

Looking to the future, the sustainable reintegration of children is crucial to ensuring sustainable peace and security and to breaking cycles of violence. Children allegedly associated with armed groups, such as the ones recruited as child soldiers in Syria, must be treated primarily as victims, and their reintegration prioritised.

Accountability for perpetrators of grave violations against children is crucial to the prevention of future violations. It is also crucial to justice."