Govts have key role in sustainable protection of children, says Kuwait
FM renews Kuwait’s firm position in supporting Yemen
NEW YORK, July 10, (KUNA): Kuwait has stressed the critical role of national governments in achieving effective and sustainable protection for children, a role affirmed by Security Council 1612 and 1882 resolutions and the importance of monitoring violations against children as provided by Resolution 1612.
This came in a speech delivered by the Permanent Representative of the State of Kuwait to the United Nations, Ambassador Mansour AlOtaibi at the Security Council session (Children and Armed Conflict).
The best way to respond effectively to violations against children is to prevent conflict and create sustainable peace. The protection of children in armed conflict should be an integral part of all peace processes, Al-Otaibi said.
He also called on all Member States to sign and ratify relevant international conventions to ensure the protection of children in armed conflicts.
Suffering
Al-Otaibi during his speech highlighted the suffering of Palestinian children under the occupation and that of Rohingya children in Myanmar, reiterating the central role of national governments in protecting children and underscored the importance of reliable and independent sources in providing insight into situations on the ground.
“Expressing our anger is not enough,” he said.
He also expressed concern about the increase in the number of violations against children by about 35 percent compared to 2016 during the period covered by the Secretary-General’s report on children and the current armed conflict.
Since the Graca Machel report published more than 20 years ago, the UN has recognized that the best way to protect children is to prevent conflict, Al-Otaibi said.
He called on the council to take necessary measures to ensure compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law to ensure security and freedom of movement without persecution on religious or ethnic grounds and the need to strengthen accountability mechanisms for all perpetrators of violations against children.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled AlHamad Al-Sabah, met Tuesday with Yemen’s Foreign Minister, Khalid Hussein Al-Yamani on the sidelines of the 8th meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF).
Boosting
The meeting discussed boosting bilateral relations in all fields, latest developments on the Yemeni arena and the international efforts aimed at finding a political solution to the crisis in Yemen.
It also tackled alleviating the suffering of the Yemeni people in addition to the latest regional and international developments. Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled renewed Kuwait’s firm position in supporting Yemen.
Kuwait and through its nonpermanent membership in the Security Council will continue its efforts to support Yemen and reach a peaceful solution that will restore security and stability to Yemen according to the Gulf initiative and its executive mechanism, outcomes of the comprehensive national dialogue as well as resolution of the UNSC 2216, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled said.
The meeting was attended by Assistant Foreign Minister for Arab Affairs Ambassador Aziz Rahim Al-Daihani, Assistant Foreign Minister for Foreign Minister’s Office Affairs, Ambassador Saleh Salem AlLoughani, Kuwait’s Ambassador to China, Samih Johar Hayat and number of senior Foreign Ministry officials.
Statistics issued recently by the National Assembly for the 15th legislative term revealed that lawmakers raised 2,670 questions from June 11, 2016 to July 5, 2018 and the government responded to 2,255 questions — 84 percent of the total, reports Al-Qabas daily.
The statistics also showed that the Cabinet requested extension of deadline for responding to questions 74 times, whereas 314 questions remain unanswered.
In addition, the lawmakers submitted 174 draft laws and 799 proposals; while 16 bills were passed, and 37 budgets, 21 agreements and 33 final accounts were endorsed.