The ‘Securing the future for children: addressing new challenges for soft power’ event took place during the Summit of the Future

The following high-level side event of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen Global Platform was held on the margins of the Summit of the Future and the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, USA.

The event addressed one of the most pressing global issues, such as securing a safer and brighter future for children. In the course of their discussions, the participants focused on restoring children’s rights and considering the multifaceted threats and challenges kids face today – both in times of peace and war.

Ukraine, Estonia, Belize, Lithuania, Suriname, Finland, Malawi, Guatemala, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) co-hosted the event, with Sergiy Kyslytsya, the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN, moderating.

First Lady of Estonia Sirje Karis; First Lady of Belize Rossana Briceño; First Lady of Finland Suzanne Elizabeth Innes-Stubb; First Lady of Suriname Mellisa Santokhi-Seenacherry; First Lady of Malawi Monica Chakwera; First Lady of Guatemala Lucrecia Peinado; First Lady of the USA Jill Biden; as well as spouse of the European Council President Amélie Derbaudrenghien shared their comments in the course of the discussion.

During the panel, a child speaker from Belize (Alaine Perdomo) and a child speaker from Senegal (Maguette Ba) delivered speeches.

Among the foreign guests who visited the event were First Lady of Seychelles Lina Ramkalawan; First Lady of Fiji Filomena Katonivere; First Lady of Mozambique Isaura Gonçalo Ferrão Nyusi; First Lady of Cyprus Philippa Karsera Christodoulides; First Lady of Czechia Eva Pavlová; spouse of the Prime Minister of Albania Linda Rama; Partner of the PM of the Republic of Slovenia Tina Gaber; as well as spouse of the Prime Minister of Armenia Anna Hakobyan.

Ministers from different countries around the world joined the discussion, including Minister of State for International Cooperation of the UAE Reem Bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy; Foreign Minister of South Sudan Ramadan Mohamed Abdallah Goc; Minister for Youth, Sports and Family Affairs of Seychelles Marie-Celine Zialor; Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection of Liberia Gbeme Horace-Kollie; as well as Minister of Social Development of Panama H.E. Beatriz Carles de Arango.

The event also featured a panel discussion with high-level representatives from leading global organisations, such as Google and Education Cannot Wait, focused on education, health, and children’s rights. The following panel explored innovative solutions and the role of soft power in addressing these complex challenges.

‘Unpunished crimes against children in one region undermine the global system of child rights. Each unpunished crime causes a chain reaction. Today, there is no country in the world where children feel fully protected,’ – stated First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska.

Underscoring the critical need for restoring and safeguarding children’s rights at both national and international levels was among the key focuses of the discussion. The emphasis was made on the importance of collaboration and partnerships between nations in addressing the challenges that threaten the safety and future of the younger generation.

During the panel, the conclusions from the study, ‘Protecting Childhood: Security Dimensions for Children and Adolescents’ conducted by Catalyse Research on behalf of BRAND UKRAINE, were introduced in video format outlining key threats to children’s well-being globally.

‘A brain that is anxious and 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 to achieving a brighter future,’ – said First Lady of Estonia Sirje Karis.

Furthermore, a series of personal stories and videos showcasing the challenges children face around the world, including domestic violence, bullying, and the impacts of war, were presented to the participants to highlight the importance of resilience and community support.

In particular, children and teenagers from Ukraine shared their stories in different languages in video format. Each “portrait” reflected the threats children face globally. These were personal stories of challenges and triumphs.

First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska made the closing remarks with the presentation of the declaration and an expert document on child safety afterwards.

The Summit of the Future is a platform that brings together representatives of UN member states, civil society, and the private sector around a common goal: planning for a secure, peaceful, and highly developed future. Digital technologies, peace and security, as well as sustainable development and financing, are the key topics of the 2024 Summit.