Address by UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict: UK statement to the OSCE
Deputy Ambassador James Ford reaffirmed the UK's support for the UN Children and Armed Conflict mandate and called for accountability for grave violations. He urged Russia to end violations against Ukrainian children, implement the Moscow Mechanism’s recommendations and ensure the safe return of children forcibly transferred or unlawfully deported.
Thank you, Mr Chair.
Special Representative Frazier, welcome to the Permanent Council and thank you for your address.
The United Kingdom strongly supports the United Nations Children and Armed Conflict mandate. Its independent monitoring draws international attention to children affected by war and supports protection, prevention and accountability.
The Secretary-General’s latest report makes for troubling reading. It records more verified grave violations against children during 2025 than in any previous year of the mandate. Children continue to be killed and injured, recruited, abducted and subjected to sexual violence. Schools and hospitals are attacked, and humanitarian assistance is denied.
The United Kingdom calls on all parties to end grave violations against children and comply fully with international law. We support the UN’s work with listed parties to prevent further violations. Those responsible for crimes must be held to account.
Protecting education is essential. Attacks on schools deny children their rights and expose them to further violence, recruitment and exploitation.
Mr Chair, Russia’s war continues to have a profound impact on Ukraine’s children. The Secretary-General’s report expresses alarm at the increase in killing and maiming attributed to Russian armed forces, particularly through long-range attacks on populated areas. It also records continued attacks impacting schools and hospitals and calls on Russia to implement an action plan to end grave violations against children.
The 2026 Moscow Mechanism report provides further cause for concern. The independent experts found that Russia operates a coordinated system of indoctrination and militarisation of Ukrainian children in the temporarily occupied territories, enforced through coercion. They reported pressure on children, parents and teachers, and measures that suppress Ukrainian identity and compel loyalty to the occupying power.
The experts also reported that Russia has obstructed family reunification and failed to establish a mechanism to restore children’s identities. They recommended that Russia end these practices and ensure deported children can return safely to their families or lawful guardians.
The United Kingdom calls on Russia to implement those recommendations in full and ensure the immediate and safe return of all Ukrainian children who have been forcibly transferred or unlawfully deported.
The OSCE can contribute by establishing facts, preserving evidence and supporting international efforts to protect children and secure accountability.
Special Representative, how can findings from OSCE institutions and mechanisms, including the Moscow Mechanism, best support the UN’s monitoring, reporting and accountability work?
The United Kingdom will continue to support your mandate and work with partners across the UN and the OSCE to protect children affected by armed conflict.
Thank you.