High-Level Side Event of the Summit First Ladies and Gentlemen “Securing the Future for Children”
Statement delivered by Mrs Sirje Karis, First Lady of the Republic of Estonia
23 September 2024, New York
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear friends,
First of all, please allow me to thank the First Lady of Ukraine, Mrs Olena Zelenska, for the opening speech. Thank You, Olena!
I feel truly privileged to address this distinguished audience on a topic so dear to my heart.
Estonia is determined to promote and protect children’s rights through international organisations, bilateral relations, through development cooperation and humanitarian aid as well as all other instruments available. Children’s rights are also one of Estonia’s key priorities as a candidate for the UN Human Rights Council.
In any armed conflict, children are particularly vulnerable and exposed. The suffering inflicted upon children all across the world is heart breaking. Estonia does its utmost to alleviate it.
We care, donate and work hard with UNICEF, the World Food Programme and UN Relief and Work Agency to support children of Palestine.
In Afghanistan, over a decade Estonian NGO Mondo was enhancing girls’ access to education. Now we donate through United Nations Population Fund.
We run projects to enable Syrian girls access to education and IT, and improve literacy rates among girls in Yemen. We try to be a trusted partner for UN organisations, including civil societies, human rights defenders and individuals in need across the globe. Let me assure you that this relentless work is not going to stop.
Dear friends,
Less than two weeks ago I visited Kyiv. It was absolutely devastating to witness that Russia’s war of aggression has left millions of Ukrainian children deprived of their rights, including access to healthcare and education.
Russian systematic deportation of Ukrainian children is a very serious international crime. As a member of International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, Estonia will not rest until the children deported to Russia are returned to their homes.
It is our moral obligation to get stolen childhood back to these poor kids. Therefore, we need to keep this issue under constant international attention. I call upon all international community to unite in fight against impunity so that those responsible would end up in a custody.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Although the outlook is grim, there are many things we can still do for our children, especially in the field of education.
We need to start by ensuring access to education, which is extremely challenging during times of devastation and war.
Amidst hardships, Estonia built a kindergarten in Ovrutš, Ukraine – with a bomb shelter to escape to. We construct family homes in the same region. In Tallinn, Freedom School was established for Ukrainian children as the Russian war of aggression brought 60 000 Ukrainians, predominantly women and kids, to my country. One can always do more but I’m proud of we’ve done so far as I see hope slowly returning to this war-torn place.
There is still one very important aspect, I want to touch upon today. It is children’s psychological safety. A brain that is anxious or stressed, is not capable of learning new things.
Mental health issues among young people are on the rise universally. We have to react. One way to do it is to give our children a safe learning environment because this is a key in achieving a brighter future.
This is why, I invite all interested First Ladies and Gentlemen of the world to share our knowledge and work together in securing a better future for all children.
Thank you!