Statement by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia at UNSC Briefing on “Children, technology, and education in conflict”
Madam President,
First of all, we would like to thank the United Kingdom for their presidency in the month of February. We wish every success to the US presidency in the month of March.
Madam First Lady,
We welcome your personal participation in the meeting today. We are grateful to you for convening this briefing on such an important topic “Children, Technology, and Education in Conflict.”
Children's access to education is one of the fundamental rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Moreover, respect for this right is an imperative for humankind if humankind is really striving to pursue the path of progress.
Education is what should make a kid heir to endless scientific, spiritual, moral, and ethical treasures accumulated by all of humanity. Education is not merely an aggregated knowledge that is now accessible online and can be mastered by artificial intelligence; education is called upon to develop a person's moral sense and aptitude for creation; thus, education gives the most important thing that distinguishes humankind from animals and increasingly capable robots.
Armed conflict is the enemy of education in all senses of the word. Children end up out of schools, cut off from their teachers, and their peers. They find themselves isolated and under constant stress.
We must not forget either that some wars are being waged, inter alia, for the purpose of depriving children of access to education. And my country knows this firsthand. Back in 1942, Hitler said that as far as Russians are concerned, the fundamental line is absolutely clear – this people should not be given culture; children in schools should know just enough to recognize road signs… the should learn the multiplication table… and know how to sign their names. That is precisely why our country will never forget the horrors of Nazism, nor will we allow Nazism to reborn and deprive the world of Russian culture and culture in general.
Madam President,
Today, we must spare no effort to ensure that during armed conflicts children's education is safeguarded to every extent possible. Lack of access to education makes children even more vulnerable to violence and recruitment into armed groups.
Technology and innovation do have a significant potential as tools for improving children’s lot in armed conflict. With educational institutions closed due to hostilities, remote education technologies do come into play but they cannot replace a full-fledged educational process.
At the same time, one needs to bear in mind that conflict-affected developing countries often lack the necessary infrastructure, nor have they capacities to build such infrastructure, and the spread of digital technologies among the population could be extremely low. It is therefore crucial to assist them in bridging the digital divide.
Let us not forget that the online environment is also a place for extremist ideology to be propagated. Having no education, children become easy prey for extremists and terrorists. If we fail to find a way to provide a decent, specialized online education to children, they may get education from other, much more dangerous sources.
The internet is also a place for the dissemination of content depicting sexual violence against children and their sexual exploitation. Combating these abhorrent phenomena is precisely the focus of a number of provisions in the UN Convention against Cybercrime, which is the first universal treaty on this matter with Russia being the initiator thereof.
Malicious actors tend to use new technologies, including artificial intelligence, to stage disinformation campaigns and carry out cyberattacks, which affect, inter alia, national educational systems and students.
We are convinced that the key to success in countering these threats lies in the compliance by digital solution developers with the national legislation of the countries where they operate, and in unpoliticized cooperation among countries on this issue.
Madam President,
Technologies do offer countless opportunities, but nothing can replace personal interaction with teachers and other children. Therefore, even during an armed conflict, schools must remain a safe space: they must not be used for military purposes or be the target of attack.
Madam President,
We can’t but note that the protection of children in armed conflict is sometimes used as a tool for political manipulation, when the label of wrongdoer is unfairly placed on one, whereas the crimes of others are being hushed up.
Very few people know (or, more precisely, they don’t want to know) that in the last week alone, Russian schools have been attacked by the Ukrainian armed forces five times, and that last year, children in the Belgorod region had to study remotely. Nor do they know that Russian schoolchildren from a number of regions are now have mandatory training on safety procedures in the event of artillery shelling, drone attacks, hostage-taking, evacuation, and first aid. Nor do they recall that many children in Donbass have come to age under shelling by the Ukrainian army, which were ongoing since 2014, while hundreds of children have been killed and maimed.
Russia is not conducting targeted strikes on educational facilities and we have consistently advocated for ensuring comprehensive protection of minors and respecting the civilian nature of educational infrastructure. The Russian Armed Forces strictly adhere to the norms of international humanitarian law when conducting our special military operation.
Regardless of the mendacious and disgusting disinformation campaign against Russia about the alleged abduction of 20,000 Ukrainian children (even though no one ever proved that), we are working to reunite minors with their families who they have lost contact with as a result of the conflict. And we are being assisted in this process by Qatar, the ICRC, and the Vatican.
Madam President,
We highly value your personal efforts to address the issue in the context of the situation around Ukraine. We continue to support meaningful engagement through our children's ombudsman in this regard, and look forward to further fruitful cooperation.
Thank you.
