Ukraine has officially submitted to the UN General Assembly a draft resolution entitled “Return of Ukrainian children“, and appealed to all member states to support it. The news was reported by the Ukrinform agency, BTA reports.
Ukraine's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Khrystyna Gayovyshyn, said at a Security Council meeting that the document includes three key demands: Russia to guarantee the immediate, safe and unconditional repatriation of all Ukrainian children; to end all forms of forced relocation, deportation, separation from families, change of their legal status, including citizenship or adoption, as well as attempts at indoctrination; and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to implement all necessary mechanisms to facilitate the process of returning the children.
The vote on the draft resolution is scheduled for early next month during a session of the General Assembly.
Gayovyshyn stressed that World Children's Day, celebrated on November 20, is a reminder of the fundamental rights of every child - the right to life, a safe environment, preservation of identity and the opportunity to grow up in their family, whenever possible. In this context, she pointed out that “the contribution“ Russia's presence in Ukraine to this day is expressed in the “bodies of Ukrainian children pulled from under the rubble“.
According to her, since the beginning of the war, almost 700 children have died, over 2,000 have been injured, and tens of thousands have been forcibly relocated or deported.
Gayovyshyn noted that while nothing can bring back the lost lives of these children, the international community has the opportunity to stop future cases of abduction and illegal transfer of Ukrainian minors.