Minister Aukrust remarks at the opening of the ten-year commemoration of the Safe Schools Declaration.

Read Minister of International Development Åsmund Aukrust's remarks here:

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Ladies and gentlemen,

Eleven years ago, Save the Children approached the Norwegian government about the terrible situation children in armed conflict were facing.

The military use of schools and attacks on schools were a growing problem. Children and youth were put at great risk, and they were often denied the right to education.

Few things are more important for children and youth – and for the society – than safe access to education. Something needed to be done. It was necessary for states to engage.

Norway reached out to a few key states to champion the issue. On May 28, 2015, the Safe Schools Declaration was launched here in Oslo. 37 states immediately endorsed it.

Ten years later, the declaration has become a significant milestone in the global movement to safeguard education during armed conflict.

We have gone from originally 37 to an impressive 121 endorsing states. In other words, this declaration has evolved into an internationally accepted standard, encouraging states to prevent attacks on education and limit the military use of schools.

The cooperation between states, civil society and multilateral organizations has laid the groundwork for our achievements. I am happy to see many representatives from both states and civil society here today.

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At the heart of the Declaration are the Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from military use during armed conflict. This articulated a new norm that educational facilities should not be used to support military operations.

It has been great to see how endorsing states have included these principles into military policy. I believe our next speaker will share how this has been done in the recent update of the Norwegian military manual.

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Ladies and gentlemen, we are experiencing a period of significant power shifts and conflict. Wars are raging in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Despite the progress that has been made, we still see attacks on education.

So, should we be discouraged and think that we have not made a difference? Absolutely not. We must never ignore the fundamental right for children to have safe access to education.

What gives me hope is that we know that where the Declaration is implemented, the result is fewer attacks on schools and better protection of children. This underscores why the declaration remains indispensable.

In other words, the Safe Schools Declaration is more important than ever. It gives us a standard that all parties to conflict are measured against and it provides clear guidelines on how to do better.

The voices of people, civil society, the media – they all call out the attacks on education. It is not accepted; it is viewed as crossing the line in the eyes of the world.

Together, we must continue to call out to those who cross the line. We must continue our work to protect children and civilian infrastructure. And we must continue to uphold the dignity of children and respect their fundamental rights. This way, we will give them – and the rest of us – a future.

Thank you.