Security Council adopts ‘first of its kind’ resolution on protecting classrooms from conflict

While the 15-member Council has issued erstwhile statements decrying attacks connected schools, this is its archetypal solution to explicitly absorption connected the nexus betwixt acquisition and bid and security.

‘Invaluable role’ of education

Through resolution 2601 (2021), delegates emphasized the invaluable relation acquisition plays for individuals and society, including arsenic life-saving harmless spaces.  They noted that providing, protecting and facilitating the continuation of acquisition successful equipped conflict, should stay a cardinal precedence for the planetary community.

The Council besides urged countries to make home ineligible frameworks to guarantee respect for their applicable planetary ineligible obligations - including broad measures to forestall attacks against schools, children, teachers and different related civilians.

Among different elements of the text, members requested the constitution of strategies and coordination mechanisms for the speech of accusation connected the extortion of schools and education, including among States, the Office of the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, and UN peacekeeping and governmental missions.

Escalating attacks

The contented of acquisition successful struggle settings has gained prominence successful the Security Council and the UN much broadly successful caller years, arsenic devastating attacks connected schools and related civilians person escalated astir the globe.

According to UN data, much than 22,000 students, teachers and academics were injured, killed oregon harmed successful attacks connected acquisition during equipped struggle oregon insecurity implicit the past 5 years.

The Secretary-General’s 2020 and 2021 annual reports connected children and equipped struggle besides spotlighted the summation successful attacks against schools.

On 10 September 2020, the delegation of Niger convened an unfastened Security Council statement connected attacks against schools, during which members adopted a presidential statement reaffirming the close to acquisition and its publication to bid and security.  It besides called connected countries to instrumentality steps to forestall attacks and threats of attacks against schools.

‘First of its kind’

Council members, speaking aft Friday’s vote, roundly welcomed the resolution’s adoption, which is the archetypal uniquely dedicated to the extortion of classrooms and schools.

The typical of Norway - 1 of its co-facilitators, on with the typical of Niger - said the substance volition assistance the Council marque its dependable heard against the increasing disruption of acquisition successful conflict.  She noted that schools, teachers oregon students were attacked successful 93 countries betwixt 2014 and 2019.

Niger’s delegate added that much than 75 cardinal children astir the satellite person seen their acquisition disrupted by conflict, arsenic attacks connected schools and schoolhouse infrastructure person grown alarmingly.