ABU DHABI // The UAE’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations has stressed to the Security Council the importance of protecting children living in conflict zones.
“Nowhere is securing children in conflict more urgent than in our region, where the abuses against children are especially heart-wrenching,” said Lana Nusseibeh.
She spoke of the plight of children in Syria, occupied Palestine and those brutalised by ISIL and other terrorist groups.
On the UAE’s involvement in the coalition to restore legitimacy in Yemen, she said: “We do not bear the risk of engagement in any military theatre lightly and we continue to strive to minimise the impact of operations on civilians.”
Ms Nusseibeh said Emiratis had paid the ultimate price in operations Decisive Storm and Restoring Hope in Yemen to protect civilians, including children, from Iran-backed Houthi rebels and other extremists.
“In light of that sacrifice, the UAE and all members of the coalition take extraordinary measures to protect children’s rights anywhere we are engaged,” she said.
The UAE put forward three policy recommendations to strengthen the impact of future reports of the UN secretary general’s special representative for children and armed conflict.
Ms Nusseibeh said the UAE was committed to finding a political solution to the conflict through negotiations, adding that “durable solutions for stability are not gained militarily alone”.
“For us and other responsible members of the international community, we are not engaging in any discussion simply to protect our image.
“The mandate of the special representative for children and armed conflict is a just and universal one, for which the UAE offers its full support.”
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