Ukraine urges UN to support resolution on return of abducted children

Ukraine has presented UN member states with a draft General Assembly resolution titled "Return of Ukrainian Children" and called on them to support the document, which will be considered in early December.

According to Ukrinform's correspondent in New York, Ukraine's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Khrystyna Hayovyshyn announced this at a UN Security Council meeting on Thursday, November 20.

She said the document sets out three key provisions: Russia must ensure the immediate, safe, and unconditional return of all Ukrainian children; Russia must cease, without delay, any further practices of forcible transfer, deportation, separation from families, change of personal status — including citizenship or adoption — and indoctrination of Ukrainian children; and the UN Secretary-General is requested to exercise his good offices and take all necessary steps to facilitate the return of Ukrainian children.

The vote on the resolution will take place at a meeting of the General Assembly in early December.

Hayovyshyn stressed that World Children's Day, marked on November 20, reaffirms that every child has the inherent right to life, to grow up in a safe environment, to preserve their identity, to remain with their family whenever possible, and to enjoy their childhood and future. Yet in Ukraine, Russia's "contribution" to this global observance is the "bodies of Ukrainian children pulled from beneath the rubble."

According to the diplomat, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, nearly 700 children have been killed, more than 2,000 have been wounded, and tens of thousands have been forcibly transferred or deported.

Hayovyshyn stressed that nothing can restore the lives of the children taken by the war, but the international community can stop the further abduction of Ukrainian children.