On July 19, 2022, the United Nations Security Council held its annual open debate on children and armed conflict (CAAC) under Brazil’s presidency. At the open debate, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (SRSG-CAAC) Virginia Gamba presented the Secretary-General’s (SG) annual report on CAAC (A/76/871-S/2022/493), covering the period from January 1 to December 31, 2021. The open debate offered an opportunity for UN Members States to discuss the implementation of the CAAC agenda, with a particular focus on three topics: (i) protection of refugee, internally displaced, and stateless children; (ii) abduction of children and its differentiated impacts on girls and boys; and (iii) reintegration of children and peacebuilding.
For the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Security Council convened the annual CAAC open debate in person. In addition to the SRSG-CAAC, briefers included the Executive Director of UNICEF Catherine Russell and Patrick Kumi, a South Sudanese youth activist who was selected as the civil society briefer.
Read the detailed review and analysis here.
Photo: © Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict
