On 19 September, the Council of Europe Consultation Group on the Children of Ukraine (CGU) officially launched its second mandate with a productive online kick-off meeting.

The CGU will continue providing a valuable peer review platform, while acting as a rapid response mechanism to address urgent priority issues and to provide practical solutions and resources to professionals supporting the children of Ukraine.

The second phase will run until 31 December 2026, continuing to focus on key topics from the first phase, such as the impact of war on children with disabilities, the pre-conditions for the safe return of children from the host countries to Ukraine, as well as psychological support and trauma-informed care. It will also explore new priority areas, including the role of children in the accountability process and access to justice, conflict-related sexual violence against children, online safety and emerging risks from AI-generated content in the context of war, bullying and harassment of children of Ukraine within educational settings.