NEW YORK(National Times)- Pakistan has told a historic session of the UN Security Council, presided over by US First Lady Melania Trump, that the most effective way to protect children and their right to education is to resolve festering conflicts in accordance with the 15-member body\u2019s resolutions, the UN Charter and international law, while highlighting the grave situation in Palestine and and Kashmir. Speaking in the Council\u2019s debate on \u2018Children, Technology and Education in Conflict\u2019, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, said, \u201cAcross conflict zones around the world, including situations of foreign occupation, notably Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir, millions of children are growing up amid rubble and chaos, rather than classrooms and calm.\u201d Schools, he added, have been destroyed, damaged or militarized, teachers displaced and digital networks disrupted. \u201cEducation systems \u2014 already fragile \u2014 have been pushed to the brink of collapse,\u201d the Pakistani envoy said. At the same time, Ambassador Asim Ahmad said while conflicts persist, we have an obligation to ensure that no child\u2019s future is extinguished by circumstances beyond their control.\u201d Monday\u2019s Security Council was convened by the United States, which holds its presidency, for the month of March. It met under extraordinary circumstances: amid US-Israeli air strikes against Iran, and widening instability in the Middle East, with repeated calls from the UN for restraint by all sides, as the Council turned its attention to a long-standing but under-addressed crisis facing children in war zones. Presiding over the meeting, Mrs. Trump, said that the United States \u201cstands with all of the children throughout the world.\u201d The first lady\u2019s speech marked the first time a first lady from any country has had the gavel. In his remarks, Ambassador Asim Ahmad welcomed the \u201cFostering the Future Together Initiative\u201d of the U.S. First Lady, aimed at building a global coalition committed to enhancing children\u2019s well-being through the promotion of education, innovation and technology, saying, \u201cPakistan is pleased to join this initiative.\u201d \u201cThe issue before us is not simply about innovation and technology \u2014 it is about safeguarding human dignity and ensuring that conflict does not steal the future of an entire generation,\u201d the Pakistan envoy added.The erosion of education in conflict settings is not incidental, he pointed out, adding it was often systematic, compounding trauma and perpetuating cycles of conflict. \u201cWhen education is interrupted over extended periods, it creates generational consequences that extend far beyond the immediate conflict.\u201d Education was not merely a service; it is a stabilizing and securing force, he said. \u201cWhen denied, children become more vulnerable to exploitation, trafficking, recruitment, and radicalization. When protected, education fosters resilience, critical thinking, and hope.\u201d Digital platforms and mobile learning tools can reach displaced or isolated children in conflict situations, the Pakistani envoy said. \u201cRemote instruction can sustain continuity when physical classrooms are inaccessible. Emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, offer opportunities for personalized learning and inclusive education.\u201d Yet, he emphasized that technology must be governed with vigilance, for access without safeguards poses risks. \u201cDigital environments can expose children to exploitation, disinformation, misinformation, hate speech, surveillance, and abuse.\u201d In this regard, Ambassador Asim Ahmad called for closing the digital divide in conflict-affected settings through investment in resilient infrastructure, affordable connectivity, and provision of devices \u2014 prioritizing girls and children with disabilities, integration of child protection by design in all digital education initiatives, and strengthening partnerships and collaboration among member states, the United Nations, civil society, and the private sector. \u201cIn the complex conflict environments, transformative use of technology can be a shield, and a bridge, to enable the children the right to safety, learning and development, and a catalyst for resilience, dignity and lasting peace that I understand from this discussion, is a shared objective, which merits our collective action and cooperation,\u201d he added. Earlier, Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, said today\u2019s debate comes at \u201ca moment of exceptional relevance\u201d. The world is witnessing the highest number of armed conflicts since the Second World War \u2013 and the highest number of civilians killed in decades. \u201cWhen conflicts erupt, children are among those most severely affected,\u201d she said, a truth recalled over the last two days, when schools in Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman have closed and moved to remote learning, owing to ongoing military operations in the region. Ms. DiCarlo cited reports from Iran about the death of \u201cpossibly dozens\u201d of children allegedly the result of a strike that hit an elementary school in Minab. \u201cGlobally, one in every five children is living in or fleeing a conflict zone,\u201d she stressed. \u201cThis adds up to 473 million children.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEW YORK(National Times)- Pakistan has told a historic session of the UN Security Council, presided over by US First Lady Melania Trump, that the most effective way to protect children and their right to education is to resolve festering conflicts in accordance with the 15-member body\u2019s resolutions, the UN Charter and international law, while highlighting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":121746,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-121745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n