On July 5, under the presidency of the United Kingdom, a discussion on “Children and armed conflicts” was held in the UN Security Council, in which speeches were made by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for the Protection of Children in Armed Conflicts, Virginia Gamba, and representatives of more than seven dozen UN member states.
In his speech, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Armenia to the UN, Mher Margaryan, in particular, noted that in 2022 The ongoing blockade of Nagorno Karabakh by Azerbaijan in violation of the judgment of the International Court of Justice since December had caused particularly severe humanitarian consequences for children, making it impossible for schools and preschools to operate, providing health services and causing a dire need for food, medicine, and other vital goods.
Ambassador Margaryan noted that Azerbaijan prevents the entry of UN structures into Nagorno-Karabakh and the comprehensive assessment of the needs of the local population, stressing that the blocking of the Lachin Corridor and the encirclement of around 30 thousand children and their families is a severe violation of their rights and calling on the international community to take action. To prevent the further deterioration of the living conditions of children living in Nagorno-Karabakh.
It was emphasized that the UN, its Office for Humanitarian Affairs, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, and the Security Council bear the responsibility to prevent gross violations of children’s rights and to guarantee the physical safety of children everywhere, including in Nagorno-Karabakh.
