“Protect our Children”

Response to the UN Secretary-General’s Call on Countries to Prioritize Children’s Education, Food, Health and Safety amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Initiative launched by the EU, GRULAC and the Group of Friends of Children and the SDGs*

We strongly support the appeal by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres for countries to prioritize children’s education, food, health and safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In this regard, we welcome the release of the Policy Brief of the United Nations Secretary-General as well as the complementary Agenda for Action issued by UNICEF, which is aimed at protecting the most vulnerable children.

We express our deep concern regarding the adverse effects that the COVID-19 pandemic is presently having and will continue to have on children’s well-being, development and protection, including their access to education, food, safety and health, particularly those in vulnerable situations.

We are aware that the measures introduced to prevent the spread of COVID-19 can expose children to numerous protection risks.

We are concerned about the damaging effects the pandemic is expected to have on children in the poorest countries, on the poorest households within countries, and on girls within poorest households, as well as the devastating risks caused by the pandemic for children in humanitarian and armed conflict-affected contexts.

We are mindful that the effects of the pandemic and the preventive measures taken may pose a challenge to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and ensuring the full enjoyment of the rights of the child. In that sense, we reiterate our firm commitment to leave no-one behind; to leave no child behind.

We must therefore work together to protect all children and act now to prevent and mitigate each of the risks they face, to ensure access to inclusive and quality education, nutrition and health care, as well as strengthen social protection systems. We must prevent and combat all forms of violence, including domestic violence, abuse and sexual exploitation of children online and offline, cyberbullying, and bridge the digital divide. We acknowledge the specific effects the crisis has on girls’ access to education and on gender-based violence. We should be doing everything we can to cushion the impact on children’s well-being, especially for those whose vulnerability has increased as a result of the current circumstances.

We commit to fully respect, promote and protect the rights of all children, reduce the negative impacts during and after the pandemic, as well as ensure respect for the best interests of the child while striving to take into account, where possible, children’s views.

We recognize that children and young people are positive change agents and commit to partner with them now and in the future, to ease the lasting impact COVID-19 will have on human health, society and the economy and secure a healthy, safe and sustainable future and planet for all in line with the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.

We are committed to working together in solidarity, across nations and generations, to address global challenges. We welcome the work of the UN system working across all settings and acting as one UN in upholding the rights of the child in the short as well as long terms. We further commit to continue working with all partners at all levels to ensure that children can reach their full potential and to build a better future.

 

 

*63 Members of the Group of Friends of Children and the SDGs joined the initiative.

 

 

 

Signatories (as of 3PM EST on 28 April 2020)

1. Albania

2. Andorra

3. Angola

4. Antigua and Barbuda

5. Argentina

6. Armenia

7. Austria

8. Bahamas

9. Bangladesh

10. Barbados

11. Belarus

12. Belgium

13. Belize

14. Benin

15. Bhutan

16. Bolivia

17. Bosnia and Herzegovina

18. Botswana

19. Bulgaria

20. Brazil

21. Cambodia

22. Canada

23. Chile

24. China

25. Colombia

26. Congo (Republic of)

27. Costa Rica

28. Côte d’Ivoire

29. Croatia

30. Cuba

31. Cyprus

32. Czechia

33. Denmark

34. Djibouti

35. Dominica

36. Dominican Republic

37. Ecuador

38. Egypt

39. El Salvador

40. Estonia

41. Eswatini

42. Ethiopia

43. Fiji

44. Finland

45. France

46. Germany

47. Georgia

48. Ghana

49. Greece

50. Grenada

51. Guatemala

52. Guinea

53. Guyana

54. Haiti

55. Honduras

56. Hungary

57. Iceland

58. India

59. Indonesia

60. Ireland

61. Italy

62. Jamaica

63. Japan

64. Jordan

65. Kazakhstan

66. Kenya

67. Korea (Republic of)

68. Laos

69. Latvia

70. Lebanon

71. Lesotho

72. Liberia

73. Liechtenstein

74. Lithuania

75. Luxembourg

76. Madagascar

77. Malaysia

78. Mali

79. Malta

80. Marshall Islands

81. Mauritius

82. Mexico

83. Micronesia (Federated States of)

84. Moldova

85. Monaco

86. Mongolia

87. Montenegro

88. Morocco

89. Myanmar

90. Namibia

91. Nepal

92. The Netherlands

93. New Zealand

94. Nicaragua

95. Niger

96. Nigeria

97. North Macedonia

98. Norway

99. Pakistan

100. Palau

101. Panama

102. Paraguay

103. Peru

104. Poland

105. Portugal

106. Qatar

107. Romania

108. Rwanda

109. Saint Kitts and Nevis

110. Saint Lucia

111. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

112. San Marino

113. Saudi Arabia

114. Senegal

115. Serbia

116. Singapore

117. Slovakia

118. Slovenia

119. South Africa

120. South Sudan

121. Spain

122. Sri Lanka

123. Sudan

124. Suriname

125. Sweden

126. Switzerland

127. Thailand

128. Tunisia

129. Turkey

130. Tuvalu

131. Trinidad and Tobago

132. Uganda

133. Ukraine

134. United Arab Emirates

135. United Kingdom

136. Uruguay

137. Uzbekistan

138. Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)

139. Viet Nam

140. Zambia

141. State of Palestine

142. European Union