The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries called on the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the international community to shoulder their responsibility in ending the tragedy of the children in Gaza and securing their right to live, safety, and protection, considering to be a legal, ethical, and human obligation.
This came in the statement delivered by HE Permanent Representative of Qatar to the UN Office in Geneva, Dr Hind Abdulrahman al-Muftah on behalf of the GCC countries as the head of the GCC Group, a panel discussion on the Rights of the Child, within the framework of the 55th session of the Human Rights Council.
The GCC countries pointed that the children in the besieged Gaza Strip are facing the worst, indescribable violations, noting that over 13,000 Gazan children have been killed. The number is increasing on a daily basis as a result of the continued aggression, they pointed.
The children who are still alive face daily scenes of death, destruction, horror and hunger, which leave horrific psychological effects on them that will remain with them for life, the statement explained.
The GCC countries stressed the importance and highest priority they give to promoting the children's rights and providing all means to protect them, pointing out that they have translated this attention into enacting national laws and legislation that support children's rights, complementing their obligations under the international conventions they are members of.
The statement explained that achieving the well-being of children and ensuring their rights to protection, care and comprehensive development is considered one of the main areas on which the GCC countries have worked to strengthen partnerships and coordinate common strategic visions.
The GCC countries indicated that they are jointly organizing conferences and adopting initiatives aimed at promoting children's rights, such as the Gulf Arab States Dialogue Conference on Child Welfare Policies, which was held with the participation of the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Unicef, giving a platform to affirm the unwavering commitment of the GCC countries to reach advanced levels in the field of child protection and care.