More than one in six children worldwide live in areas of conflict. This reality is compounded by a rise in attacks on students and teachers, which increased by 40 per cent in 2024-25 compared with the previous two years. Children are paying a devastating price.

A particularly distressing example was on Feb. 28, when the United States and Israel first attacked Iran. A strike on an elementary school killed 156 people — 120 of them children.

Such risks were highlighted by David Lametti, Canada’s representative to the United Nations, during an annual debate on children and armed conflict. Lametti spoke of the toll global conflict takes on children and urged that their views be included when shaping political decisions affecting their lives. “Treat children as agents, not just beneficiaries of care,” he said.

Canada’s role in stopping attacks on hospitals in armed conflict More female peacekeepers essential to protect children in conflict zones

Canada’s role in stopping attacks on hospitals in armed conflict More female peacekeepers essential to protect children in conflict zones

Canada’s role in stopping attacks on hospitals in armed conflict

More female peacekeepers essential to protect children in conflict zones

Children and youth in conflict zones consistently rank education among their highest priorities. Yet education is not always considered early in a crisis and is often excluded from decisions on humanitarian funding. Global Affairs Canada should prioritize education as part of any emergency aid.

Graça Machel’s report 30 years later

Graça Machel, Mozambique’s first minister of education, wrote a groundbreaking report in 1996 on the devastating effects of war on children. The report documented........

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