India expresses concern over UNSG's report on Children and Armed Conflict
The Hindu
The released report mentions the situation in India under the category “Situations not on the agenda of the Security Council or other situations”.
Days after the UN Secretary General’s report on ‘Children and Armed Conflict’ mentioned India, New Delhi has expressed concern that the report includes situations that are “not situations of armed conflict” or threats to maintenance of international peace and security.
The report released last week mentions the situation in India under the category “Situations not on the agenda of the Security Council or other situations”.
Addressing the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) high-level open debate on Children and Armed Conflict on July 19, Charge d'affaires at India's Permanent Mission to the UN Ambassador R. Ravindra said, “We must be cautious as attempts to selectively expand the mandate will only politicise its agenda. It would distract us and even divert our attention from real threats to international peace and security and children in armed conflict.”
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"We also note with concern that despite the Council’s clear mandate, the Secretary General’s report includes situations that are not situations of armed conflict or threats to the maintenance of international peace and security,” he said.
In the report, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres welcomed the legal and administrative framework for the protection of children and improved access to child protection services in several Indian States, including Assam and Jammu and Kashmir. He, however, expresses concern about the risk of child recruitment by armed groups in affected districts.
The UN chief welcomed the ongoing engagement of the Indian government with his Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba; the interministerial meeting held in November 2021; and the appointment of a national focal point to identify priority national interventions so as to enhance the protection of children.
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