Thank you, Mr. President.

Let me begin by thanking you for convening this important annual open debate.

I also thank H.E. Ban Ki-moon, Ms. Gamba, Mr. Chaiban and the child briefer for their valuable briefings.

The situation of children continues to be adversely and disproportionately affected by the prevailing security, protection and humanitarian challenges caused by armed conflicts around the world.

The recent report of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict presents this worrying trend regarding the situation of children in armed conflict, with a staggering 21 per cent increase in grave violations against children.

As highlighted in the report, the conflict in Israel and Palestine alone led to an increase in grave violations of 155 per cent.

I will not repeat the numbers, but the number of violations in this conflict and the nature of cruelty in Gaza unsurpassed and unprecedented.

The numbers may be much more than the verified figures in the report due to the situation on the ground.

UN officials also warn us that children continue to die of malnutrition and dehydration, “while food and clean water wait in trucks” outside of Gaza.

There is no solution for Palestinian children other than a permanent ceasefire, unhindered humanitarian aid and resumption of education.

Mr. President,

Since the outset of the conflict in Syria, the suffering of children continues unabated due to the grave violations by the regime and terrorist organizations such as PKK/YPG and its offshoot so-called “SDF”.

The report of the Secretary-General registers some of the grave violations perpetrated by this terrorist organization and points out the increase in the recruitment and use of children by “SDF”.

The latest report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic also confirms that the terrorist organization is the primary perpetrator of violations and serious crimes against children in Syria.

The facts on grave violations of this terrorist organization are crystal clear; therefore, expecting a terrorist organization to be bound by commitments of an international framework, so-called “2019 Action Plan”, is an illusion.

While the situation of children in Syria continue to be a grave concern for the international community, the signing of an Action Plan Regarding the Prevention of Child Recruitment and Grave Violations between the UN and the Syrian opposition is a positive development.

PKK and its offshoots’ grave violations against children are not limited to Syria.

They continue their violations in Iraq by killing, maiming and abducting children.

They recruit and use children as soldiers and also stand as an obstacle to the provision of better public services and infrastructure investments in the localities where they are present.

This terrorist organization also exploits the vacuum of authority in order to target my country from Iraqi soil.

Only last year, PKK conducted 1084 attacks to Türkiye from Iraq.

This is a matter of national security, and taking this opportunity, I would like to register the position of my country with regards to the ungrounded allegations in the report on my country’s counter-terrorism operations in Syria and in Iraq:

Türkiye is obliged and entitled to take appropriate measures against direct and imminent terrorist threat posed to its national security from Syria and Iraq in line with its inherent right of self-defence as outlined in Article 51 of the UN Charter and the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

These operations are conducted in full compliance with international law and international humanitarian law and with utmost attention and care to avoid any harm to civilians, including children, and civilian infrastructure.

Mr. President,

The impact of the ongoing war in Ukraine on children is also concerning and the children require special attention under these circumstances.

As such, Türkiye, in cooperation with the UNICEF, has hosted nearly 2000 orphans and their caregivers since March 2022 and will continue its efforts in this regard.

Türkiye attaches utmost importance to the agenda of the UN which addresses the situation of children in armed conflict and is ready to support the efforts for the protection of children.

In conclusion, I reiterate our intention to continue to cooperate with Ms. Gamba, the Secretariat and other UN agencies.

I thank you.