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UN report documents tens of thousands of child rights violations; secretary-general backs special representative
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Summary
The United Nations’ annual report on children in armed conflict recorded verified grave violations in 2024 and drew criticism from at least one member state about the office’s public response. Secretary-General António Guterres said he fully supports the office and highlighted the report’s verification methodology and limits.
The United Nations reported that 2024 marked a devastating new record for grave violations against children, listing 41,370 verified violations in the annual report compiled by the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict.
Virginia Gamba, the secretary-general’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, presented the report to the Security Council, according to the UN briefing. She and UNICEF’s Sheema Sengupta urged the council to press parties to conflict — notably armed forces and listed armed groups — to engage with the UN to develop, sign and implement action plans to end grave violations against children.
The briefing said verified cases of sexual violence and other grave violations rose sharply in 2024; the report and presenters noted that verified figures represent cases that could be corroborated under the office’s established methodology and “are only the tip of the iceberg,” language the secretary-general repeated.
An intervention from the Algerian permanent representative at a Security Council meeting sharply criticized the office of the Special Representative, saying its public response had been “strikingly insufficient” and that the office had issued unusually few statements. The reporter at the UN briefing asked the secretary-general for a reaction; António Guterres said he “fully supports the work of Miss Gamba and the work of her office” and that the written report “speaks for itself” about violations documented.
Journalists at the briefing also raised questions about the monitoring and verification system used by the office, noting it was established more than 25 years ago and that some member states have criticized its efficiency. The secretary-general said any change to the office’s mandate or methodology would be a matter for the Security Council and reiterated that the methodology is specific and leads to conservative, verified totals.
Ending: The UN said the Security Council and member states should press parties to develop and implement action plans required by the office’s mandate; the briefing did not announce changes to that mandate or to verification procedures.
