Council of Europe representative urges partners to focus more on return of Ukrainian children
This was stated to Ukrinform by the Special Envoy of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on the Situation of Children in Ukraine, former Icelandic Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense Þórdís Gylfadóttir.
Gylfadóttir noted that currently, the share of aid provided by Ukraine’s friends and allies that goes primarily toward humanitarian work and societal resilience is very low compared to the rest. “So when we talk about the desire to rebuild Ukraine, I believe it is important that we put on ‘human glasses.’ Because it is not enough to rebuild roads, bridges, and infrastructure—energy or otherwise—but we must also focus on the human dimension, with special attention to children. I think that if all friends and allies contributed a certain amount to this form of support, we would be in a stronger position. And this point must be discussed in all negotiations,” she emphasized, explaining that children are the most vulnerable, and Russia is using them as a tool in this war.
Gylfadóttir acknowledged that European countries lack the tools to mediate between Ukraine and Russia on the issue of returning Ukrainian children. Currently, the country that has demonstrated the greatest success in this area is Qatar. Gylfadóttir herself would welcome other countries joining the process if it helps and if Russia is open to such mediation.
However, she noted, the vast majority of children who have been successfully returned are brought back by Ukrainians themselves—non-governmental organizations in cooperation with other stakeholders in Ukraine, where possible—but little is happening there. This is also why it is necessary to support Ukrainian society, non-governmental organizations, and institutions in Ukraine that are actually doing this work, the politician noted. In addition, Ukraine must be helped to create the necessary infrastructure for receiving children and their reintegration so that they can receive trauma-informed care and become full-fledged citizens “who will learn to trust again after the trauma they have experienced.”
The Council of Europe Secretary General’s Special Envoy highlighted the importance of ensuring that the European community—all reasonable people, not just politicians in Brussels—are aware of this issue.
“We need to keep this on the agenda and raise awareness. We need independent journalism to disseminate information and tell the truth. We need non-governmental organizations and other influential voices,” Gylfadóttir explained the strategy.
She acknowledged that in a world where we see new crises practically every two weeks, sustaining attention spans naturally becomes a challenge. This means that the understanding that you are on the right side of history motivates you to do more.
As reported by Ukrinform, an expert discussion on the return of Ukrainian children took place during the GLOBSEC international security conference in Prague.
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