News
The plight of the world's children was in focus at a high-level panel discussion organized by the WCC UN liaison office in New York on 13 July on the theme "Churches and the United Nations: Building a Partnership for the Protection of Children".
According to the UN children's fund UNICEF, more than 2 million children have died as a direct result of armed conflict over the last decade. At least 6 million children have been permanently disabled or seriously injured. More than 1 million have been orphaned or separated from their families. Between 8,000 and 10,000 children are killed or maimed by landmines every year. And, an estimated 300,000 child soldiers - many of whom have been forcibly abducted - are active combatants in today's conflicts.
The event was arranged to mark the one-year anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1612 (passed in July 2005) which seeks to strengthen a comprehensive framework for addressing the protection of children affected by armed conflict through increased monitoring and accountability.
In a message addressed to the event, WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia underlined the concern of the churches with the protection of this highly vulnerable population.
"The World Council of Churches is deeply disheartened by these statistics and is greatly concerned about the state of the world's children. The World Council of Churches affirms its commitment to working with the United Nations to achieve a world free of wars and conflicts, safe for our children," Kobia said. The message was read by Dr. Laurence Konmla Bropleh, the WCC Permanent Representative to the UN, the organizer of the event.
The panelists at the WCC event included Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy, Under-Secretary-General & Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict; Mr. Baffour D. Amoa, Secretary General of the Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in West Africa; and Mr. Gbawou C. Kowou, a youth activist from West Africa.
Related WCC links:
- Message of the WCC general secretary to the High-Level Seminar of Children & Armed Conflict at the United Nations, 13.07.2006
- WCC UN Liaison Office (New York)
Related external links:
(WCC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites)
- UN Security Council Resolution 1612 on Children in Armed Conflict