Miqdad: UN Organizations Work Should Respect Syria Sovereignty

DAMASCUS, (ST) _ Deputy Foreign and Expatriates Minister Dr. Faisal al-Miqdad has stressed the need that work of UN organizations in the field of children’s rights should honor Syria’s sovereignty and its enforced  laws and regulations, and adhere to the principles of neutrality, transparency and to alienate itself from  politicization and dependence on reliable sources, apart from hostile agendas that aim to undermine Syria and its people.

While presiding over a meeting yesterday for, “the UN- national committee to follow-up children’s rights in the context of the situation experienced by Syria, ” Miqdad said that Syria’s children are the most vulnerable among the victims of the terrorist war areas, where there are armed terrorist groups in and refugee camps outside Syria camps especially in Jordan and Turkey,

He affirmed that the Syrian government since the beginning of the crisis dedicated human and financial resources for protecting all Syrians, especially children among them, implemented a national vaccination campaigns and restored or rehabilitated  damaged schools as a result of terrorist attacks, so as to accommodate 4.4 million students for this school year  and the number is expected to increase to 5 million over the next year.

For his part, the UN Resident Representative in Damascus Yacob el-Helo pointed to the constructive cooperation between the Syrian government and the UN organizations in Syria, stressing that convening this meeting is a proof on Syria’s interest in regard.

He explained that such coordination between the Syrian government and UN organizations in Syria reflects the common desire of the two sides to protect the Syrian child and avert him the dangers of the crisis and its repercussions.

Head of UNICEF office in Damascus Hana Sanjar referred to the fruitful cooperation between the Organization and the Syrian government in the area of child protection, adding that the Syrian government has taken significant steps to respond to the needs and protection of children, including the issuance of Legislative Decree no. 11 of 2012, which criminalizes and punishes for the recruitment of child soldiers.

The two sides exchanged ideas on forms of bilateral coordination for the protection of children and childhood in Syria during the coming period.

The meeting was attended by representatives of ministries concerned with child issues and heads of UN offices and representatives in Syria, who are members of the Committee.

T. Fateh