Statement by H.E. Sanita Pavļuta-Deslandes, Permanent Representative of Latvia to the United Nations at the United Nations Security Council Meeting on “Children, Technology, and Education in Conflict”
New York, 2 March 2026
Thank you, Madam President,
Let me start by congratulating the United States on the beginning of their Presidency of the Council and for starting it with the First Lady of the United States, Ms Melania Trump, presiding over the meeting. I extend my sincere appreciation for the excellent work of the United Kingdom as the Council’s President in February, and I thank Under-Secretary-General,
Ms Rosemary DiCarlo for her briefing.
Latvia would like to take this opportunity to thank the First Lady of the United States for her dedicated efforts and personal commitment to the return of Ukrainian children, abducted, forcibly transferred and deported by Russia. And we welcome the First Lady’s initiative “Fostering the Future Together”. It is indeed important and urgent that this Council focuses on children in conflict and their access to education and technology, as almost 500 million children live in conflict affected countries.
Madam President,
Digital technologies are reshaping childhood. They offer children new ways to learn and stay connected. But for millions of children in conflict, across continents, access to education or even basic connectivity is scarce and completely out of reach. These are children whose lives have been upended by war and conflict - displaced, forced to flee, living in constant fear, facing danger and violence every day, with no schools to go to, as in Sudan, in the Middle East, in Haiti, or children spending years in shelters underground because of bombardment, classrooms transferred underground in the dark and cold, as in Ukraine.
In this context, we underscore our support to the work of the UN, namely, UNICEF, UNESCO and to the Office of the SRSG for Children and Armed Conflict, whose mandate is vital not only to safeguarding children’s access to education in conflict, but also to addressing grave violations committed against them. Let me highlight three points.
First, war and conflict have a profound impact on education. Children in conflict-affected countries are far less likely to complete primary school than their peers elsewhere. Without education, it is not hard to imagine what their future will be – easy targets for recruitment, exploitation and further violence. Digital technologies can serve as a lifeline to ensure the continuity of education when traditional systems are disrupted. In Ukraine, in response to the First Lady Olena Zelenska’s “Laptop Coalition” initiative, Latvian foundations and private businesses have donated laptops to school children in Chernihiv, whose education has been severely disrupted by Russia’s war of aggression.
Second, digital technologies and media provide unlimited opportunities, but, without appropriate safeguards, they can also cause significant harm. The development of AI tools amplifies both. Children are increasingly exposed to harmful content, data and privacy risks, and online grooming, manipulation or recruitment. Strengthening the education curriculum and expanding capacity‑building, including on information and media literacy, is a crucial part of the response. In that regard, through development cooperation, Latvia supports STEM education and digital skills for girls and young women in various countries. Education alone is not sufficient to address harm in the digital environment. Protecting children requires a collective effort: families and educators who guide and support them, and public institutions and private companies, including online platforms, that identify risks and take responsibility for addressing them.
Third, digital tools cannot replace meaningful human interaction, and education is no exception. Technologies and AI should enhance children’s learning, not replace it. As our experience during the Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated, online-based learning is not a substitute for
in-person learning. The lack of engagement with teachers and peers leaves a negative impact on children’s social and emotional development. Digital tools should support teachers, not side-line them.
Madam President,
Our responsibility is clear: to ensure that all children, especially those in conflict zones, are safe, have access to education, can benefit from digital opportunities, while remaining shielded from their harms. For children whose schools have been destroyed or whose access to learning has been violently disrupted, protecting their right to education means finding reliable ways to keep learning alive and build peace. Achieving this demands responsible action from all of us.
I thank you.