YouSaid · the spoken record

Kumi

lines on the record
9
first
2022-07-19
most recent
2022-07-19
sittings or episodes
1
sources
un-security-council

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  1. “There should be more effort to ensure that militaries, armed groups, local government and anyone who meets a child in a conflict zone know and understand those laws, while those who break them need to be held accountable. Last week, I sat down with friends and colleagues in Bidi Bidi, and I asked them what was the most important thing that I should request of the Security Council. They all agreed on the participation of young people and children in policy and programming. If it is something meant for children and young people, then let it be for them. I would like to finish by thanking my friends and collaborators at Similar Ground, War Child and other people and organizations that have helped me in my journey. I thank the members of the Security Council for what they will do to better help children in conflict.”

    2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096 (2022) · source

  2. “There should be more opportunities for the participation and empowerment of young people in the United Nations system and in designing and leading responses. Finally, there should be greater accountability. There are many laws already in place that are supposed to protect children affected by conflict, for example, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Geneva Conventions and the many Security Council resolutions. Many countries agreed to those laws, but they are not respected. They are not enforced as they are supposed to be at the country or regional levels. There should be more accountability for the promises and commitments made.”

    2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096 (2022) · source

  3. “International non-governmental organizations play an important role, but eventually they all leave, whereas we know our own issues very well and we can make activities more sustainable. Thirdly, we need to enable greater participation in decision-making for people like me, children and youth. It is great that I am able to speak here today, and I am grateful for the opportunity. But one young person once a year is not enough. Young people affected by conflict need more opportunity to participate in policy and programming that is about them. Children affected by conflict will soon grow into adults, and many will be ready to be part of the solution. That will improve the situation in the longer term.”

    2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096 (2022) · source

  4. “In addition, there is a gap in opportunities for children and young people who leave such armed forces. They need to learn new skills and how to put them to good use. Secondly, we all know that billions of dollars are spent every year in humanitarian aid, but that there is no overall sustainability. In the humanitarian response we give money. Projects are implemented and then come to an end. National and international organizations should improve their collaboration with Governments and national and local organizations so that when projects are finished, the community and the Government can take over. I would also like to ask that longer- term funding be made available for projects and local organizations and community groups, including young people, so that the young people themselves can lead them.”

    2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096 (2022) · source

  5. “Mine is just one story, but we know that there are thousands of children currently going through what I went through. I have given a lot of thought over the years to what would have helped a child like me. Based on my experience and my work with other children, I would like to propose four recommendations. The first is establishing better-quality reintegration that really understands children. Children leaving armed groups need our full support to heal. They need medical care. They need to be reunited with their families and given opportunities to learn. Most importantly, their communities need to be supported in welcoming them. The children who leave armed groups are seen as a threat, and more work needs to be done to help people understand their needs and what they have been through.”

    2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096 (2022) · source

  6. “I went through training and ran a project for orphans and separated children, together with other young people in my area. After the programme, together with friends, we set up our own community-based organization, Similar Ground, through which we are helping hundreds of children recover from stress and trauma. We are also running awareness campaigns for young people. It means a lot to us to help hundreds of children recover from their traumatic experiences and help other young people play a greater role in their community. This year I enrolled in a degree programme in human rights, peace and humanitarian response. I lost three years of my life trying to recover, and many children in my community are not able to recover as fast. Some never recover at all.”

    2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096 (2022) · source

  7. “Other young children had wives, and even some adults had married children 14 or 15 years old. In every attack I was forced to participate in, at least five children were injured or killed. There was no medical care. When you were sick, you either died or survived. We drank the same water as the animals. One day Government forces attacked our barracks. There was shooting on every side. It was chaos. I ran. I narrowly escaped death. I kept going and found my way to Uganda, where I was registered as a refugee in the Bidi Bidi refugee camp. It took me 11 months to find my family. When I finally did, it was a day of joy, happiness and sorrow. In 2018, I joined the War Child programme known as VoiceMore, a youth-advocacy programme.”

    2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096 (2022) · source

  8. “Because my father could not confess to something he had not done, they shot him dead in front of me. I was then told to join the group or die. I cannot remember what I said. I only realized that I had answered yes when I found myself in the centre of a camp where hundreds of other children were congregated. I could not eat for days or stop crying. There were more than 2,000 people in the barracks, half of them children, and many of them carrying guns. I was shocked and speechless. I learned from the few I spoke to that some of the children had joined because they were offered money and promised higher-level positions. Some joined because their families had been killed and they wanted revenge. A 10-year-old boy told me that his parents were mistreating him and he could no longer bear living with them.”

    2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096 (2022) · source

  9. “Mr. Kumi: I would like to thank the Permanent Mission of Brazil to the United Nations for the invitation to address the Member States, and Member States for their willingness to listen. My name is Patrick, and I would like to say a little bit about myself and propose a few recommendations that I think will work if we join together. I would like to ask everyone here to listen, and I know everyone will. In 2016, I was 15 years old. I lived with my family in a village far from the terrorism in South Sudan. One day, I went to work on our farm with my father. Unfortunately, an armed group came and abducted us. They took us far away from our home and village. They tortured us and claimed that my father had a gun. They forced us to sleep in a pit filled with water that came up to our necks and beat us continually.”

    2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096 (2022) · source