New Delhi, Mar 4: The United Nations Security Council turned its focus to a stark statistic: 473 million children, one in five worldwide, are either living in or fleeing conflict zones, with millions at risk of losing access to education as wars shutter schools and displace families.
Meeting under the March presidency of the United States, the Council heard calls for the rapid expansion of digital education, backed by stronger safeguards, to ensure that learning continues even when classrooms fall silent. The session, chaired by US First Lady Melania Trump, the first time a presidential spouse has presided over a Council meeting, centred on how technology can bridge widening educational gaps in conflict settings.
Briefing ambassadors, Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, said recent events highlights how children remain among the worst affected by armed violence. Schools in Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman have temporarily closed and shifted to remote learning amid rising regional tensions.
She also referred to reports from Iran alleging that dozens of children may have been killed when a strike hit an elementary school in Minab. “United States authorities have announced that they are looking into these reports,” she said.
Globally, 234 million children in conflict situations require educational support, DiCarlo noted, with 85 million entirely out of school. In 2024 alone, the UN verified 2,374 attacks on schools and hospitals, a figure she said likely understates the true toll.
“Digital learning can offer access to education when schools are closed or inaccessible, or when students are fleeing violence,” she told the Council, pointing to initiatives such as the Instant Network Schools programme operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, which provides refugees and teachers with internet-enabled educational resources.
At the same time, she warned of mounting online threats. Children in war zones face heightened risks of exploitation, trafficking, radicalization, and recruitment by armed groups through digital platforms. Cyberbullying and misinformation further compound their vulnerability. Strengthening legal frameworks and funding education in emergencies are critical, she stressed, adding: “The most effective way to protect children from conflict is to prevent and end wars.”
Speaking in her national capacity, Melania. Trump declared: “The United States stands with all of the children throughout the world.” She argued that education reflects a nation’s core values and that, in an era of unprecedented connectivity, technology can help meet basic human needs.
Nearly 6 billion people, around 70 per cent of the global population, now have access to mobile devices and the internet, she said. Artificial intelligence, once confined to research institutions, is expanding access to knowledge and enabling cross-cultural understanding. “Today, almost anyone anywhere can access a vast universe of data in the palm of their hand,” she said, urging efforts to connect even the most remote communities to AI-driven learning tools.
Her remarks echoed the Council’s own framework under resolution 2601 (2021), which calls on Member States to promote remote and digital learning solutions and ensure educational continuity for refugee and displaced children.
Delegates from countries scarred by conflict shared hard-earned lessons. Liberia’s representative recalled his country’s 14-year civil war, warning that when education collapses, conflict “does not end, it simply mutates”. Community radio once delivered lessons nationwide when physical classrooms were unsafe, demonstrating the value of adaptable technology.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo described ongoing challenges in South Kivu province, where violence and armed group occupation have forced thousands of schools to close. Nonetheless, Kinshasa has adopted a 2025 strategy to build a resilient, inclusive system capable of ensuring learning continuity before, during and after crises.
From the Middle East, Bahrain’s delegate said regional instability has disrupted schooling, citing UNICEF figures that 30 million children in the Middle East and North Africa are out of school or outside formal education. Pakistan cautioned that “technology is not a substitute for peace,” while Somalia drew attention to Gaza, where more than 97 per cent of schools have reportedly been damaged or destroyed.
France highlighted the plight of Ukrainian children whose classes are frequently interrupted by air-raid sirens, while warning that social media is being used in several conflicts to spread propaganda and facilitate recruitment of minors.
Safeguards and the digital divide
Many delegations stressed that digital education must be accompanied by comprehensive safeguards. Colombia warned that the online environment has become “a new space of vulnerability”, where criminal networks exploit and manipulate minors. Greece called for national strategies that harness technology to build “bridges to safe education, dignity and hope”.
The Russian Federation pointed to the proliferation of online material depicting sexual violence against children, citing the new UN Convention against Cybercrime as a tool to combat such abuses. Denmark emphasized the persistent digital divide, noting that children in the poorest and most conflict-affected regions are least likely to have reliable internet access.
China underscored the transformative potential of remote teaching, satellite networks and AI, while insisting that technological deployment must respect national sovereignty and cultural traditions.
Several speakers cautioned against overreliance on artificial intelligence. Panama warned that technology must supplement, not replace, in-person education. Latvia agreed: “Digital tools must support teachers, not sideline them.”
As debates unfolded, one theme recurred: education is both a casualty of war and a pathway out of it. Or, as Liberia’s delegate put it, the journey “from ceasefire to resilience runs through the classroom.”
