The Permanent Mission of Greece to the United Nations addressed the open debate held by the Security Council on the protection of civilians in armed conflict (May 21). In his remarks, Greece’s representative expressed regret over the sobering findings of the latest Secretary-General’s report, according which, the world in 2023 witnessed widespread civilian harm.
Greece also stressed that a particularly vulnerable category are journalists reporting in conflict situations. For nearly twenty years now, Greece has been engaged in the facilitation of resolutions condemning the attacks against journalists, an effort which culminated with the biennial General Assembly resolution on the “Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity”.
The issue of the rights of civilians in armed conflicts touches upon two key priorities of Greece’s candidacy for a non-permanent Security Council seat, for the 2025/26 term. The first priority is the protection of children in armed conflicts, and the other is the promotion of the ‘Women, Peace and Security’ Agenda. If elected, Greece will intensify even further its engagement in these two extremely sensitive fields of humanitarian action.