The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict held a televised meeting with the leadership of the Syrian Democratic Forces and the co-chair of the Executive Council of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, which dealt with the joint work plan with the United Nations and the steps taken in the explicit commitment for the protection of minors.

On Monday, Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, held a televised meeting with the leadership of the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Executive Council of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.

According to ANHA, the meeting held with the United Nations and UNICEF officials was attended by the Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, as well as Abd al-Mahbash, the co-chair of the Executive Council of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, in addition to the Women’s Defense Units (YPJ) Commander Newruz Ahme, and Nasrin Abdullah and Ridor Khalil from the Syrian Democratic Forces’ Relations Office and the Military Contact Point.

The participation of the UN side included Gamba, Florence Gaspar, Special Assistant, Nicholas Gerrard, Head - Monitoring, Reporting and Regional Partnerships, and Nelly Sabarthes, Head of Political Affairs.

The meeting dealt with the joint action plan with the United Nations signed on June 29, 2019 and the steps taken by the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Autonomous Administration in their explicit commitment to it. Gamba praised the great progress and successful implementation and commitment made by the SDF and the Autonomous Administration.

The meeting also discussed the conditions of children of non-Syrian ISIS families residing in northern and eastern Syria, the possibility of their return to their countries of origin, and the need to establish rehabilitation centers in the short and medium term in order to find a radical solution to their case of returning them to their countries.

The two parties emphasized that detention centers are not the appropriate place to place children as victims of armed conflict, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces welcomed the United Nations, through its international partners, to conduct visits to detention centers for children of ISIS families to assess their needs.

The meeting also discussed the situation of non-Syrian foreign women and children in both Al-Hol camp and Roj camp and the need to find a comprehensive solution for them by urging countries that have nationals in northern and eastern Syria to respond quickly to return them to their countries and to provide the necessary and necessary support for that.

During the past year, the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria had established the agreement with the United Nations on many activities and updated laws.