War-Affected Children: A Failure of Humanity

Why is humanity failing our children? Despite decades of international efforts to protect children, recent United Nations reports confirm that 2023-2024 have been two of the worst years for violence against children in armed conflict.  The bitter irony of this fact is that September 2025 marks several important milestones, including the eightieth anniversary of the creation of the UN, the thirty-fifth anniversary of the first World Summit for Children and the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Winnipeg Conference on War-affected Children. John Holmes, a former Canadian ambassador and international law specialist on the rights of the child and criminal law, will outline the evolution of the rights of the child and global efforts to protect war-affected children. In discussing the current context, in which these efforts are being undermined, Holmes will propose ways in which Canada, like-minded states, and civil society can enhance protections for children affected by armed conflict.