Europe Asia News

UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Al-Nashif drew attention to the devastating impact of armed conflicts on children, noting that in more than 60 armed conflicts worldwide, children are the primary victims of the most serious violations.

Referring to developments in the Middle East, Al-Nashif said that images emerging from the rubble of a girls’ school in the southern Iranian city of Minab show the human cost of war and stressed that the attack must be investigated quickly, impartially and comprehensively.

“Between 2021 and 2024, attacks on schools increased by 166 percent,” Al-Nashif said, noting that educational infrastructure has been severely damaged in Sudan, Ukraine, Gaza, Myanmar and Ethiopia.

Stating that in 2024 around 470 million children worldwide — one in every six children — were directly affected by armed conflicts, Al-Nashif said: “Protecting children is not a luxury; it is a legal, moral and humanitarian necessity.”