UNSG report: India says no armed conflicts as defined in international law; urges caution

India on Monday expressed concern with the UN Secretary General’s (UNSG) report on ‘Children in Armed Conflict’ having references to the country and urged caution in this regard.

India’s basic position on this issue is that there is no armed conflict in India as defined in international law and is urging caution in this regard, highly placed sources told ET.

India's concern to the UNSG report was voiced by Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Monday in his address to the UN Security Council open debate on Children and Armed Conflict.


"Despite the Council’s clear mandate, we note with concern that the Secretary General’s report includes allegations that are not situations of armed conflict or threats to the maintenance of international peace and security," Shringla said.

"We must be cautious as attempts to selectively expand the mandate politicises the agenda, diverting attention from real threats to international peace and security and to children in armed conflict," he said.

Secretary General Antonio Guterres’s report on ‘Children and armed conflict’ mentions India under ‘Situations not on the agenda of the Security Council or other situations’.

In the report, Guterres says he remains "concerned" by violations against children in Jammu and Kashmir. He also welcomed the positive engagement of the Indian Government with his Special Representative to "put in place national preventive and accountability measures for all grave violations."