At least nineteen thousand Ukrainian children have been deported to Russia and forcibly moved deeper into the occupation. This was stated by First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska in her interview with ELLE Ukraine. The cover of this issue features a photo of Olena Zelenska and the guests of the Fourth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen: First Lady of Guatemala Lucrecia Peinado, First Lady of Estonia Sirje Karis, First Lady of Lithuania Diana Nausėdienė, First Lady of Serbia Tamara Vučić, First Lady of Finland Suzanne Innes-Stubb, First Gentleman of Slovenia Aleš Musar, spouse of the Prime Minister of Denmark Bo Tengberg, and spouse of the Prime Minister of Belize Rossana Briceño.
The theme of this year's event was the safety of children during armed conflicts, within the family, at school, on the Internet, and in the environment.
“Ukraine is currently in a very difficult situation: we need to protect children from both everyday and social threats, as well as the dangers posed by the aggressor state. We must shield them from daily bombings and missile attacks, as well as from abductions. Nineteen thousand – at the very least – of our children have been deported to Russia and forcibly moved deeper into the occupation,” the First Lady noted in the interview.
According to Olena Zelenska, the principle of the Summit is efficiency and concrete solutions, which is why she has already presented an expert document on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
“Can we truly say that the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is functioning when a UN member state, the terrorist state of Russia, is killing and abducting Ukrainian children? Probably not. Therefore, new policies and new agreements on how to act are needed. I would like to believe that these practical recommendations will help save children worldwide, as their countries will already have the tools to do so,” the First Lady said.
Additionally, she spoke about the outcomes of previous summits. In particular, a medical partnership was launched last year. It already involves 17 countries and 44 foreign clinics that directly cooperate with Ukrainian hospitals.
“Our healthcare professionals can consult with colleagues worldwide, undertake internships, and draw scientific expertise,” Olena Zelenska said.