Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (C) addresses a UN Alliance of Civilizations panel discussion on youth and peace-building on June 17, 2015. (Photo: UN)

Speaking on behalf of ASEAN at the debate, Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations, said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) remains strong commitments to addressing issues that children are facing, especially in conflict situations. Nga said ASEAN shares the view that a comprehensive approach is needed to protect children in armed conflicts, particularly to address the issue of abduction. She stressed the need to address the root causes of hardship that children have to bear in armed conflict as well as the importance of continued efforts by the UN Security Council and the international community to handle its impacts on children. Nga added that the ASEAN Commission for the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) is now developing a Regional Plan of Action for the implementation of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Children (EVAC) as adopted at the 23rd ASEAN Summit in 2014.