SW News: Members of the United Nations urged Russia to end the war in Ukraine during a Security Council meeting on Tuesday. They cited alarming statistics about the plight of children caught in the conflict while making their demands.

During the meeting, UN members also cited the food grain shortage globally, the energy crisis and the rising number of displaced people because of the war. Speaking at the meeting US Ambassador Lisa Carty said, "Last Thursday, the UN released its global humanitarian overview for 2023 which set another record with 339 million people in need of assistance and a price tag of $51 billion." She said it is one of the largest refugee and displacement crises since World War II.

The envoy also said that the consequences of the war are horrific and they “cause needless suffering. Children cannot attend school and doctors cannot treat the sick."

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to the displacement of two-thirds of children, damage or destruction of 2,500 schools and the inability of 5 million children to attend classes. According to the Mexican envoy to the UN, 1.5 million Ukrainian children run the risk of suffering from depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress and other hazards.

Martin Griffith, Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, explained that so far, 765,000 children have been provided with psychosocial support to tide over the ravages of the war.

The Norwegian ambassador to the United Nations accused Moscow of forcibly transporting thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia for adoption and neutralization. British Ambassador Barbara Woodward said, "The statistics we have heard from the UN today are shocking. The trauma inflicted by Russia will last for generations." In a similar vein, the Irish envoy said that children in the war-torn country have been robbed of their childhoods and their right to education.