Mr. President,

We would like to thank the Brazilian Presidency for convening today’s open debate on children and armed conflict.

This debate provides an opportunity to take stock of achievements and to discuss further efforts to keep children away from harm’s way.

We commend the UN’s works in taking the “Children and Armed Conflict” agenda forward.

Yet we need to step up our efforts to ensure that the UN Country Task Forces on Monitoring and Reporting on Grave Violations against Children have adequate resources to fulfill their mandate.

We concur with the Secretary-General’s call to ensure that child protection provisions and capacity are included in all relevant mandates of UN peacekeeping operations and special political missions.

In addition, we see the repatriation and reintegration of children as important aspects of this agenda.

My country fully subscribes to the Secretary-General’s appeal to the countries concerned to take steps for the voluntary repatriation of children, including those with alleged links to DAESH.

Mr. President,

The report of the Secretary-General reveals once again that the plight of children continues unabated in many parts of the world.

As for Syria, the destructive war that Assad has waged against his own people had a staggering impact on children.

The war has left the lives and the future of a generation of Syrian children hanging by a thread.

The crimes of the regime are not the only threats the Syrian children face.

Well-documented crimes of the terrorist organization PKK and its Syrian branch PYD/YPG against children continue to be a source of grave concern.


The so-called "Syrian Democratic Forces", YPG/YPJ, "Internal Security Forces", "Kurdish Revolutionary Youth", “Patriotic Revolutionary Youth Movement” and the so-called "self-administration" mentioned in the report are all elements of one and the same terrorist organization: PKK/YPG.

In nearly 2000 attacks, PKK/PYD/YPG have killed almost 400 Syrian civilians in the last two years, including children.

In addition, the PKK/YPG and the so-called SDF continue to abduct children and provide forced military training in camps.

We have shared with the CAAC Office the evidences for these violations.

The PKK/YPG and affiliated elements, in their attempt to fuel their separatist ideology, also use tactics such as imposing arbitrary school curricula as well as arresting, dismissing or mistreating teachers who oppose them.

While we support the UN’s efforts to document PKK/PYD/YPG’s and other terrorist groups’ crimes, we must stress the need to demonstrate a unified front against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

believing that a terrorist organization, would be bound by commitments under an international legal framework is an illusion.

I would also like to put on record my country’s stance with regards to the incorrect references in the report to my country’s counter-terrorism operations in Syria and in Iraq:

All these operations are conducted as part of Türkiye’s legitimate right of self-defense, in full compliance with international law and international humanitarian law and in line with Article 51 of the UN Charter.

These operations exclusively target terrorists, with utmost attention and care to avoid any harm to civilians or civilian infrastructure.

Mr President,

Türkiye supports the agenda of the UN in addressing the situation of children in armed conflict.

We will continue to work closely with the Special Representative’s Office to make sure that all the information they reach is correct and complete.
Thank you.