The Council of Europe reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that children’s rights remain at the heart of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction efforts during a high-level side at the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026 (URC 2026).

The event “Protecting Children, Securing the Future: Children’s Rights in Ukraine’s Recovery and Reconstruction” brought together representatives of the Ukrainian Government and municipalities, the Council of Europe, the European Union, other international organisations, civil society child protection experts, to discuss priorities of action for children affected by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

Opening the event, Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir, Special Envoy of the Secretary General on the Situation of Children of Ukraine, stressed the need to keep children’s protection, recovery and their long-term well-being at the centre of international efforts for Ukraine. She highlighted the importance of accountability and access to justice for violations affecting children.

The event participants underlined the shared responsibility of the international community, including the Council of Europe, the European Union, and Ukrainian institutions, local authorities and civil society, to ensure that children affected by war, in Ukraine and outside the country, remain a priority on the political agenda and have a meaningful role in shaping Ukraine’s future. The Council of Europe Consultation Group on the Children of Ukraine (CGU) - a multilateral co-operation platform -  was highlighted as being instrumental in advancing concrete protections for children, working on topics, such as identifying risks of trafficking and online exploitation, access to inclusive education, psychological support and trauma-informed care, preconditions for the safe return from member states, accountability for crimes against children, including indoctrination, militarisation and conflict-related sexual violence.

The photo exhibition about children of Ukraine under the title “Thread: Transformation Rather Than Brokenness” presented by the Voices of Children Charitable Foundation, together with photographer Marta Syrko and the Museum of the History of Kyiv, was part of the side event.

The side event was organised by the Council of Europe’s Directorate General of Democracy and Human Dignity.

During her visit to Gdańsk, the Special Envoy also held bilateral meetings with Ukrainian and international partners to discuss ways to strengthen coordinated support for children affected by the war.