Remarks at an Arria Formula meeting organized by the Russian Federation on children in armed conflicts
Ngoyi Ngoyi
Political Advisor
New-York, New-York
April 5, 2023
AS DELIVERED
Since the start of the illegal and unprovoked Russian war in Ukraine, Russia has forcibly separated thousands of children between the ages of 4 months and 17 years from their families or guardians and placed them in over 40 different institutions in or within Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine Russia itself. At least two of these institutions coordinate the Russian government’s policy on the forced adoption and foster care of Ukrainian children in Russia.
Many of these children still have families in Ukraine, while Russia’s brutal war has left others orphaned. Now they are being held by the country responsible for the deaths of their loved ones instead of being returned to their home country. UNHCR chief Filipo Grandi said in January that Russia “violated the basic principles of child protection” by issuing Russian passports to Ukrainian children and putting them up for adoption. As a result of Russia’s actions, an estimated 1.5 million Ukrainian children are at risk of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems.
It is outrageous – outrageous – that the Russian event today included Ms. Maria Lvova-Belova, that of the Russian Federation
Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights. She is the subject of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for her involvement in the war crimes against children in Ukraine.
Russia also provided a platform for unrecognized officials from the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic. General Assembly resolution ES/11/4 expressly called on all States and international organizations not to recognize any change in the status of the Donetsk region of Ukraine and to refrain from any dealings that could be construed as recognition of such changed status. Russia’s way of highlighting these voices shows its contempt for the UN General Assembly, the Security Council and international law.
Russia’s continued attempts today to justify its systematic efforts to separate Ukrainian children from their families and country by attempting to draw false parallels to other situations are appalling. You must be wondering at this point… what is the Russian Federation trying so desperately to hide? If Russia is not trying to hide a systematic program to force Russian citizenship on the children of Ukraine, then it should be
grant unrestricted access to humanitarian organizations. As simple as that.
For this reason, the renewal of the mandate of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) on Ukraine in the Human Rights Council last week was an important step. We are appalled by the COI’s findings on children, but unfortunately not surprised. We will continue to support efforts to document the impact of the Russian war on children and we reiterate that those who commit these grave sins against such vulnerable populations must be held accountable.
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