On June 1, VRU’s education center organized a roundtable in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine dedicated to the International Day for the protection of children to discuss children’s rights during russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. The event has been broadcasted via YouTube on the RADA TV channel.
About 30 high-school students attended the meeting in person and more than 50 students from all regions of Ukraine joined online. They discussed how their rights could be ensured during martial law.
Oleksandr Korniyenko, VRU First Deputy Speaker, welcomed school-students’ active participation in the youth movement and emphasized that international norms on children’s rights are being tested in russia’s war against Ukraine. Together with Serhiy Babak, the Head of parliamentary committee in education, he also noted that Parliament would upgrade the legislation to ensure children’s rights, as the current convocation of the Verkhovna Rada is the youngest in history and it understands the significance of the youth in Ukraine.
Serhiy Shkarlet, Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, took note of those Ukrainian children who suffered from russia’s aggression, particularly those who were wounded and died due to russia’s aggression. He acknowledged that academic achievements are children’s weapons to fight for Ukraine’s future.
Marc Ellingstad, Director of the Office of Democracy and Governance in USAID Mission to Ukraine and Belarus, noted in his online address to the meeting that protecting children’s rights, lives, and health and ensuring their access to education is the highest priority for the state, especially given the challenges of wartime. Also, he stressed that Ukraine’s Parliament had used all means of parliamentary diplomacy to ensure Ukraine’s children’s rights and save their lives. “It is important that children move forward with their education process”, he said. He noted that the Parliamentary Education Center remains effective and conducts various events during wartime. Mr. Ellingstad underlined that USAID had been supporting the Center from the very beginning through its parliamentary projects, and the Agency would continue to extend such support through the USAID RADA: Next Generation Program.
