UN chief: Concern Saudi coalition not protecting Yemeni kids

Ban said in June that he temporarily removed the U.S.-backed coalition from the blacklist for violating child rights pending a joint review of cases because its supporters threatened to stop funding many U.N. programs.

The secretary-general said he has held talks with Saudi Arabia at the highest level including with the deputy crown prince and foreign minister “to express my serious concerns about the situation on the ground and the devastating impact on children.”

[...] he said, he has received information about measures taken by the coalition “to prevent and end grave violations against children.”

Jo Becker, children’s rights advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, said Tuesday that “the coalition should be returned to the secretary-general’s list of shame until it stops its indiscriminate bombardment of Yemen’s civilians.”

Last year, Afghanistan recorded its highest rate of child casualties since 2009, while violations against children in Somalia increased by 50 percent from 2014, and violence against Palestinian and Israeli youngsters continued to take a toll, he said.