Statement by the Deputy Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations, Ambassador João Genésio de Almeida Filho, at the UNSC session on children and education in Ukraine - May 12th, 2022

Madam President,

We thank the briefers of OCHA and UNICEF for their presentations. We also would like to thank France and Mexico for their initiative to discuss the impact of the conflict in Ukraine on children and education.

Children in Ukraine, as elsewhere, must be protected from the harm of violence and under no circumstances should they be subject to violations of international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and international refugee law.

Brazil is deeply concerned with the continued reports of child casualties due to the use of explosive weapons, mine-related incidents, and explosive remnants of war. Both parties to the conflict must avoid the use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas, including near schools or universities or along routes to or from them.

Schools and medical facilities should never be used for military purposes. It is of the utmost importance to implement resolution 2601 (2021) on the protection of education, which Brazil co-sponsored last year. The Safe Schools Declaration, which we have also endorsed, provides important guidelines on this matter as well.

In the face of conflict, children and their parents have to endure great challenges. There are reports of Ukrainian parents that out of desperation sent their children abroad with strangers. Authorities in neighboring countries have identified children as young as 4 or 5 years old crossing State borders alone or with barely familiar people. For them, family reunification should be pursued with great urgency.

We cannot overestimate the impact of war in traumatized children. Furthermore, with the disruption of the school system countrywide, their studies are discontinued and compromised, with lasting impact to their personal development. As the conflict persists, the damage to children’s education grows starker.

The cessation of attacks against civilian infrastructures is key in protecting children from the harms of conflict. Resolution 2573 (2021) provides fundamental guidance for the protection of objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population.

Children forced to flee their homes to ensure their own survival are especially vulnerable. Brazil is concerned with the alarming number of children who became internally displaced persons and refugees. Support from the international community is needed more than ever, especially to those children who are unaccompanied or separated from their parents and family members. As they are forced into the condition of refugees or IDPs, children can become more vulnerable to crimes, including sexual violence and exploitation. Their physical integrity and well-being should be a priority to all Member States.

In line with our tradition of solidarity, Brazil has been granting humanitarian visas and residence permits for displaced Ukranians and stateless persons affected or displaced by the armed conflict in Ukraine. Once in Brazilian territory they have full access to all public services and social benefits on an equal footing with Brazilian nationals. Brazilian civil society has been forthcoming and is mobilizing to provide further specialized assistance to help local integration. Other Brazilian humanitarian actions include the donation of water purifiers, food, essential supplies and medical items.

We shall recommit our efforts to end this conflict, and prevent the Ukrainians to have a “lost generation” of children victims of trauma and without access to proper education. The silence of the guns and the withdrawal of troops maybe not enough to end the war, but it could be the first glimmer of hope for the Ukrainians to resume their lives with peace.

Thank you.