First Lady urges global commitment to children's rights

ANKARA

Türkiye's First Lady Emine Erdoğan emphasized the global challenge of protecting children's rights in a video message to the fourth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen on Friday.

"Sadly, in the world we live in today, protecting the right to life of children and ensuring that they grow up in a safe and peaceful environment has become a global challenge. However, the future of humanity sprouts with children," she remarked.

Referring to the former South African President Nelson Mandela's words that "there can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children," , Turkish first lady highlighted the importance of addressing the current state of children worldwide.

"The fact that babies are wrapped in shrouds without even being registered in the population, that child deaths are considered as casualties of war, reveals how dark the soul of today's humanity is," she continued.

Erdoğan stressed the difficult conditions faced by children in conflict zones such as Syria, Ukraine, and Gaza, expressing a shared responsibility to restore what war has taken from children’s lives.

She acknowledged Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelenska's efforts, particularly the initiative to host Ukrainian children affected by war in Türkiye in 2022.

Currently, nearly 1,500 Ukrainian children and their companions are being hosted in Türkiye.

Expressing solidarity with the Ukrainian people, First Lady conveyed her hope for the war to end with a just and lasting peace soon.

The Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, initiated by Olena Zelenska in 2021, aims to foster international dialogue to address humanitarian issues and implement projects that promote well-being.

Held annually in Kiev since 2021, this year's summit was themed "Protecting Childhood: Ensuring a Safe Future."