Aaryan Salman, President of the Global Citizenship Foundation, said:

"Our thoughts are with the children, young people, and educators of Ukraine. We are extremely concerned for their safety and well-being. We are troubled to see the horrifying military escalation of the conflict and the beginning of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. We join the international call for an immediate cessation of all hostilities."

"This unfortunate conflict poses a grave threat to life and will cause further suffering to the people of Ukraine and jeopardize an entire generation of young people."

"We exhort all parties to honor their commitments under international humanitarian and human rights laws and ensure the protection of educational institutions, youth, children, and educators from harm. We urge the parties concerned to heed the international call to spare vital facilities that children and young people need such as health services, schools, universities, water, and electricity needed to keep children and young people warm and safe."

AN INTERNATIONAL CALL FOR ALL COUNTRIES TO PROTECT CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

The escalation of hostilities is causing a severe mental and physical toll on young people, educators, women, and others in urgent need of humanitarian support. Access to electricity, heaters, water, food, health services, and education are the most significant needs. We urge all actors in the conflict to do everything to protect young people and prevent gender-based violence. Armed conflicts could lead to a rise in the human trafficking of children, young people, and women. We appeal to all actors and countries to provide humanitarian access for organizations providing assistance and aid to those impacted.

We also urge all countries to respect their obligations under the UN Convention on Refugees. Individuals and families who are displaced due to this catastrophic conflict must be allowed to seek refuge and support. We urge all countries to honor the principle of non-refoulment— meaning that governments should not return anyone to a country where they would face harm.