Security Council, 10247th meeting. Agenda item taken up: “Children and armed conflict - Security Council, 10247th meeting”. 9 speakers were heard, representing 9 delegations. The Chair announced: “The result of the voting is as follows The draft resolution received 15 votes in favor.”
Partly attributed: 61% of speech unattributed. Attributed to a named speaker 25% · unattributed 61% · Chair 14%.
Actions taken
The Chair announced: “The result of the voting is as follows The draft resolution received 15 votes in favor.”
Points of disagreement
Somalia regretted that the penholder did not sufficiently accommodate its concerns in the final text, and placed on record concerns on implementation: national ownership, resources and capacity for conflict-affected and developing countries, and risks in collecting and sharing sensitive digital information on children.
Key points
Greece introduced draft resolution S 2026-8-815 on children and armed conflict, which highlights the impact of digital technologies on violations and abuses against children in armed conflict and the role of technology in preventing them.
Russian Federation stated that the Council's mandate on children and armed conflict remains unchanged, that work on the Greek draft showed digital technologies had not produced new categories of grave violations, and that the resolution establishes no separate category of violations and does not address verification issues.
Liberia said Liberia co-sponsored and voted in favor of the resolution because children affected by armed conflict need meaningful progress now.
Statement by statement · 9 speakers
🇬🇷 Greece
Greece introduced draft resolution S 2026-8-815 on children and armed conflict, which highlights the impact of digital technologies on violations and abuses against children in armed conflict and the role of technology in preventing them.
Greece stated that the draft resolution reinforces the existing framework so that it captures violations regardless of the means by which they are committed, and that recruitment through a smartphone is still recruitment.
Greece stressed that the draft resolution seeks to mitigate harms stemming from the digital environment, not to regulate technical aspects of digital content, and that its information integrity language is not meant to infringe upon freedom of expression or speech.
🇷🇺 Russian Federation
Russian Federation stated that the Council's mandate on children and armed conflict remains unchanged, that work on the Greek draft showed digital technologies had not produced new categories of grave violations, and that the resolution establishes no separate category of violations and does not address verification issues.
Russian Federation stressed the importance of acknowledging in the resolution the Convention on Strengthening International Cooperation in Combating Certain Crimes committed by means of information and communication systems, adopted at the initiative of its country.
🇸🇴 Somalia
Somalia voted in favour of the resolution, citing its important objectives and Somalia's commitment to the children and armed conflict agenda.
Somalia regretted that the penholder did not sufficiently accommodate its concerns in the final text, and placed on record concerns on implementation: national ownership, resources and capacity for conflict-affected and developing countries, and risks in collecting and sharing sensitive digital information on children.
🇨🇳 China
China voted in favour of the draft resolution that was just adopted, and appreciated the penholder's efforts, while noting that some legitimate concerns raised by some council members had not been fully reflected and the text still had room for improvement.
China urged parties to conflicts to cease hostilities and violence as soon as possible, fulfill their obligations under international humanitarian law, protect the safety of children, and prevent the use of digital technologies for violations and abuse against children.
🇩🇰 Denmark
Denmark stated Denmark co-sponsored and voted in favor of the resolution, and welcomed its adoption, supporting it because the Council must address both the opportunities and the risks digital technologies present for children in conflict.
Denmark said stronger regulation of major technology companies is necessary to protect children, and Denmark would have welcomed stronger language on the responsibility to protect children's lives, on compliance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law on gender based violence, and on country task forces.
🇱🇻 Latvia
Latvia voted in favour of the resolution on the impact of digital technologies on children in armed conflict, and welcomed its adoption.
Latvia stressed the vital role of the country task forces on monitoring and reporting in documenting the six grave violations against children in conflict, and that they must have the resources and capacity to identify how digital technologies may be used to commit or facilitate these violations.
🇺🇸 United States
United States voted in favour of the resolution on protecting children in armed conflict, stating that no child should be denied safety, security, or an education because of armed conflict.
🇱🇷 Liberia
Liberia said Liberia co-sponsored and voted in favor of the resolution because children affected by armed conflict need meaningful progress now.
Liberia stressed that children subjected to recruitment, coercion, or exploitation must be treated primarily as victims, with their protection, recovery, and reintegration at the center of the response.
🇧🇭 Bahrain
Bahrain stated the Kingdom of Bahrain co-sponsored the DAFT resolution and voted in its favor, out of its commitment to protecting children affected by armed conflict.
Bahrain reaffirmed that protecting children in armed conflict includes addressing risks in the digital space, particularly online recruitment and exploitation through digital platforms and the misuse of technology by armed and terrorist groups.
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