Credit: (c) MAEE

Luxembourg Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Jean Asselborn yesterday participated in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) public debate on children in armed conflict, held in New York.

As part of his working visit to the UN Headquarters in New York, Jean Asselborn participated in the UNSC public debate on the plight of children affected by armed conflict, organised by the Swedish Presidency of the Council, which focused on the UN's annual report on children and armed conflict.

The debate, which led to the unanimous adoption of resolution 2427, addressed both the results achieved and the priority actions to be taken to stop serious violations against children in times of armed conflict.

The participation of Minister Asselborn in this public debate testifies to the importance that the Grand Duchy continues to attach to this issue; indeed, the protection of children affected by armed conflict was one of the priorities of Luxembourg during its first term to the Security Council in 2013-2014. He commented: "From the Democratic Republic of Congo to Syria, from Afghanistan to Myanmar, from southern Sudan to Mali, children are being killed and maimed. They are kidnapped, forcibly recruited, sexually abused by both government forces and non-state actors." 

Jean Asselborn also reaffirmed that "there can be no impunity for those who have been responsible for crimes against children" and stressed the important role played by the International Criminal Court, in complementing national processes. He also reiterated Luxembourg's unequivocal support for the mandate of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, who is working to protect children in armed conflict, before detailing the means by which the Grand Duchy continues to support its Office as well as the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

Finally, during his working visit to the UN in New York, Minister Asselborn also had an interview with the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for International Migration, Louise Arbor. The discussions focused on the role of the UN in the area of ​​migration, focusing on the negotiation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, to be adopted in December 2018 in Marrakech.