International Day to Protect Education from Attack

  The present Report of the Secretary-General on Children and Amed conflict , prepared following consultations and covering the period from January to December 2024, is submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 2427 (2018) . The report includes trends regarding the impact of armed conflict on children and information on violations committed, as requested by the Council in its resolution 1612 (2005) and subsequent resolutions. Where possible, violations are attributed to parties to conflict and the annexes to the present report include a list of parties engaging in violations against children, namely the recruitment and use of children , the killing and maiming of children, rape and other forms of sexual violence perpetrated against children, attacks on schools, hospitals and protected persons in relation to schools and/or hospitals , and the abduction of children . The information contained in the present report was vetted for accuracy by the United Nations . Where info...

 In 2024, violence against children in armed conflict reached unprecedented levels, with a staggering 25 per cent surge in the number of grave violations in comparison with 2023. Children bore the brunt of relentless hostilities and indiscriminate attacks, and were affected by the disregard for ceasefires and peace agreements and by deepening humanitarian crises. The United Nations verified 41,370 grave violations, of which 36,221 were committed in 2024 and 5,149 were committed earlier but verified in 2024. Violations affected 22,495 children in 2024 (14,383 boys, 7,320 girls, 792 sex unknown). While non-State armed groups were responsible for almost 50 per cent of grave violations, government forces were the main perpetrator of the killing and maiming of children, attacks on schools and hospitals , and the denial of humanitarian access.3 The sharp rise in the number of children subjected to multiple violations from 2,684 in 2023 to 3,137 in 2024, through the convergence of abdu...

   Situations not on the Agenda of the Security Council  or other situations   Burkina Faso The United Nations verified 1,125 grave violations against 1,089 children (596 boys, 369 girls, 124 sex unknown) and 17 grave violations that occurred in previous years.  Some 68 children (66 boys, 2 sex unknown) were recruited and used in combat by Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) (44), unidentified perpetrators (14) and Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) (10).  Some 25 boys were detained for alleged association with armed groups; 9 of the boys were released.  The killing (438) and maiming (270) of 708 children (377 boys, 223 girls, 108 sex unknown) was attributed to JNIM (370), unidentified perpetrators (218), including in crossfire between parties to the conflict (36), ISGS (59), in joint operations by the Defence and Security Forces and Volontaires pour la défense de la patrie (58), and by the Togolese Army (3). The rape of four girl...

   The drawdown of United Nations peacekeeping operations and Special political missions combined with the global decrease in funding for child protection negatively affected child protection by significantly reducing United Nations capacity to verify and respond to grave violations . Despite this capacity decrease, the United Nations was still able to verify the shocking increase in the number of grave violations . System-wide solutions and sustainable funding streams are urgently required to ensure the mainstreaming of the children and armed conflict mandate in the development, human rights, peace and security work of the Organization. Reinforced funding for and commitments to upholding child rights and protection should be prioritized at a time of unprecedented vulnerabilities of children. Any further reduction in resources will strain operations, limit protection capacities and reduce life-saving assistance, thus having a devastating impact on conflictaffected childre...

RECOMMENDATIONS - I urge all parties to adhere to their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and to uphold the rights and special protections afforded to children. I call upon all parties to allow and facilitate safe, timely and unimpeded humanitarian access and to ensure the safety and security of humanitarian personnel and assets, as well as to respect and protect civilians and civilian objects.   I call upon all parties to protect hospitals and health workers and to implement Security Council resolution 2286 (2016).    I urge parties to conflict to refrain from using explosive weapons in populated areas, to undertake the clearing of explosive ordnance and to provide risk education and victim assistance. I call upon donors to provide financial and technical assistance in that regard. I urge Member States to become parties to and to implement the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, St...

The Agenda of the Security Council on:  Afghanistan  The United Nations verified 1,647 grave violations against 559 children (434 boys, 125 girls) and 244 grave violations that occurred in previous years.  The recruitment and use of 11 boys by the Taliban in combat (4) and support roles (7) was verified. The killing (180) and maiming (363) of 543 children (422 boys, 121 girls) was attributed to unidentified perpetrators (454), cross-border shelling and air strikes by Pakistan armed forces (50), the Taliban (22), Islamic State in Iraq and the LevantKhorasan (ISIL-KP) (10) and the National Resistance Front (NRF) (7). Casualties resulted mainly from explosive ordnance (491).  Sexual violence against 6 children (2 boys, 4 girls) was attributed to the Taliban (5) and unidentified perpetrators (1). Attacks on 135 schools (48) and hospitals (87), including attacks on protected persons in relation to schools and/or hospitals (20), were attributed to the Taliban (128), uniden...