Palestinian children queue for food relief in Gaza in early June. —XINHUA/VNA Photo

NEW YORK — Việt Nam condemns all acts of violence against children and calls for the immediate cessation of violations of children's rights in armed conflicts, Ambassador Đỗ Hùng Việt, Permanent Representative of Việt Nam to the United Nations, stressed on Thursday (local time).

Addressing a UN Security Council (UNSC) open debate on children and armed conflicts, Việt stressed that prevention must be the top priority, particularly through addressing the root causes of conflict and reducing risks of violence against children.

He underscored Việt Nam’s support for integrating child protection across all stages of peace processes and identifying it as a core component of peacekeeping operations.

On this occasion, the diplomat highlighted Việt Nam’s notable contributions during its 2020–21 term as a non-permanent UNSC member.

These include the promotion of Resolution 2573 on protecting essential civilian infrastructure in conflict, a Presidential statement on addressing the consequences of explosive remnants of war, and the initiation of discussions on protecting women and children in armed conflicts.

The debate brought together representatives from the UN Secretariat, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and more than 90 UN member states, reflecting the international community’s strong determination on the protection of children in conflict situations.

According to the UN Secretary-General's latest report on children and armed conflict, more than 41,000 grave violations against children were documented in 2024 — a 25 per cent increase compared to 2023 — marking the highest number since the UN’s children-related monitoring and reporting mechanism was established in 2005.

Country representatives expressed grave concern over the growing number of violations, particularly sexual violence and the use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas.

They called on all relevant parties to uphold international law and relevant UNSC resolutions, intensify preventive measures, strengthen international cooperation and humanitarian assistance, and increase resources for child protection and reintegration programmes.

Ambassador Đỗ Hùng Việt, Permanent Representative of Việt Nam to the United Nations, speaks at the UN Security Council (UNSC) open debate on children and armed conflicts June 26. — VNA/VNS Photo

On Wednesday, Ambassador Việt also participated in a high-level thematic debate on the multifaceted aspects of peace and security in Africa and the future of peacekeeping operations, chaired by the President of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.

In his remarks, he emphasised the UN's central role in fostering sustainable peace on the continent, calling for enhanced strategic and effective cooperation.

He advocated a people- and community-centred approach to address the root causes of threats.

The Vietnamese diplomat proposed the development of an evaluation mechanism to improve the efficiency of peacekeeping operations and urged sustainable financing for UN peacekeeping missions as well as the initiatives led by the African Union (AU).

He affirmed Việt Nam’s readiness to make greater contributions to UN peacekeeping efforts in Africa.

The same day, Việt attended and delivered remarks at an informal plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly commemorating the 80th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter, which was presided over by the Permanent Representative of Singapore on behalf of the Forum of Small States (FOSS). — VNA/VNS