- 63 countries and international organisations gathered in Brussels to discuss the long-term impact of war on children forcibly taken from their homeland.
- Co-chaired by Ukraine and Canada, the Coalition discussed returning children, rehabilitation and reintegration as well as preventing the militarisation of children.
- Discussions focused on uniting international efforts to protect children affected by the war, support their recovery, and facilitate safe reunification with their families and communities.
- Switzerland and Cyprus joined the Coalition, reflecting broader international engagement on child protection in conflict settings.
The International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children met in Brussels on Monday, bringing together representatives from 63 countries and international organisations to discuss international approaches to protecting children affected by armed conflict.
The meeting, co-chaired by Ukraine, Canada and hosted by the European Union (EU), focused on how countries can work together to return forcibly deported children to their families, communities and cultural environments, while also supporting their long-term recovery and reintegration.
Participants discussed approaches to child protection, rehabilitation, trauma recovery, access to education and the challenges faced by children exposed to militarisation, displacement and conflict-related disruption.
The Coalition also discussed the importance of international coordination in supporting the safe return of children and ensuring systems are in place to help them recover from trauma of war and deportation and rebuild stable and peaceful lives.
Bring Kids Back UA, launched by President Zelenskyy in 2023 provides the national framework for Ukraine’s efforts to return children, support their recovery and reintegration. The International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children serves as a platform for coordinating the diplomatic, humanitarian, legal, and informational efforts to achieve the objectives of Bring Kids Back UA – to ensure justice and safe return for thousands of deported children.
Recruitment of children into armed activity, exposure to military training, and separating them from family and community can have long-lasting efforts on their wellbeing and identity. The involvement of children in war limits opportunity for a peaceful life and can – and has – cost lives. Coalition members emphasised the importance of rehabilitation programmes that prioritise psychological support, education, family and community reintegration.
HE Ms Tokozile Xasa, Ambassador of South African to the EU was in attendance, and the Coalition welcomed Switzerland and Cyprus as full members joining other countries including Argentina, Japan, Italy, the United States, Panama, Ireland and Ukraine, increasing the total membership to 49 members.
Partners also discussed ongoing diplomatic engagement, support mechanisms for returned children and families, and the importance of sharing best practice on reintegration and recovery. The European Union, the US, Lithuania, the UK, Germany and Canada committed a combined USD$100m to ensure important work in supporting returned children and their families can continue.
Coalition members agreed to coordinated sanctions, synchronised across members spanning Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and Oceania.
Ukraine has officially confirmed over 20,000 cases of deportation and forced transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia. The Russian Federation itself reported it had transferred 744,000 Ukrainian children from the territories it occupied.
The safe return of Ukrainian children is an important step towards bringing peace to Ukraine, and broader European security. Only once children are safe in their homeland, can peace be meaningfully achieved.
Minister Andrii Sybiha stressed that international efforts are invaluable:
“We speak not only about returning children — we speak about a triple return. Return every child, return Ukraine to every child, and return childhood to these children. Statements are not enough. Words of empathy are not enough. Actions, both political and legal, are needed to ensure accountability and bring our kids back home. And of course, the best thing we can bring to our children is peace.”
The meeting followed a joint non-governmental organisations statement issued in late April in Ukraine, which set out 12 recommendations, including strengthening and expanding the use of legal mechanisms to protect affected children and continued political and economic pressure to ensure the immediate, safe and unconditional return of all Ukrainian children.
The Coalition aims to combine expertise and resources to raise international awareness and secure the children’s safe return.
The expansion of the Coalition’s membership, alongside significant new financial commitments, reflects a strengthened international effort to support Ukraine’s work to ensure every unlawfully taken child is accounted for, returned, and given the support needed to recover.
