Egypt expresses readiness to cooperate with UN on protecting children against violations during armed conflicts

CAIRO – 5 June 2022: Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shokry received Sunday UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Virginia Gamba, stressing Egypt's backing to all efforts aimed at protecting children and ending violations that are committed against them during armed conflicts.

The minister said that Egypt can broker cooperation between the special representative's office, and Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Peacebuilding (CCCPA) as well as the African Union Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development Center headquartered in the Egyptian capital.

On her side, Gamba expressed interest in such cooperation, as she was briefed by Minister Shokry on the "structural steps Egypt made to strengthen children rights within Egypt's vision 2030, and the National Strategy for Human Rights launched in September 2021," the ministry's press statement indicated.

The minister stressed the necessity of concerting efforts on the international level to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19, which has worsened the intensity of armed conflicts, and to deal with the current global food crisis.  

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized in December a ceremony to officially inaugurate the African Union Center for Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) launched in Cairo in November.

The inauguration was jointly carried out by Head of the African Organizations Department Ambassador Soha Gendy, and AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS) Bankoly Adeoye.

The ceremony was attended by a large number of African ambassadors to Cairo, and representatives of donating countries that support the center's activities.  

In his speech, the commissioner expressed the AU's appreciation for the active pioneering role of Egypt – under the leadership of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi – in backing reconstruction and development activities across the continent. Similarly, Adeoye commended the Egyptian president's efforts in mobilizing international resources to support African countries that experience a post-conflict phase. 

It is noted that the current headquarters of PCRD is a temporary one, as the permanent premises is still being prepared at the Diplomatic Neighborhood of the New Administrative Capital (NAC).