Statement by Sweden on behalf of the Nordic countries at the eleventh emergency special session of the General Assembly after the vote on resolution “Return of Ukrainian Children”, December 3, 2025.
Madam President,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the five Nordic countries – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and my own country Sweden.
The Nordic countries commend the leadership of Ukraine, Canada and the European Union for facilitating the present resolution on the return of the Ukrainian children.
Colleagues, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has been marked by countless war-crimes. One of the most heartbreaking is the forced transfers and deportations of Ukrainian children.
Ukraine and UN agencies estimate that thousands of children have been taken away from their homes. As long as Russia continues to withhold information, the total number remains unclear. One thing is however perfectly clear: each forcibly transferred or deported child is a grave injustice. Every child has the right to return to their parents, relatives and friends.
Madam President,
The present resolution reaffirmed fundamental elements of international humanitarian law. Forcible transfers and deportations of protected persons from occupied territory to the territory of the occupying power is strictly prohibited under the Geneva Conventions and its protocols, regardless of motive.
On 15 March 2023 the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine concluded that Russia’s deportations and forced transfers of Ukrainian children amounted to war crimes.
The aim of Russia’s actions is to erase the Ukrainian identity of the children. It is a systematic attempt to undermine Ukraine’s statehood, and a clear violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Convention prohibits unlawful removal, identity alteration, and undue family separation, and seeks to ensure that children affected by armed conflict receive protection and care.
Madam President,
Russia has openly admitted the establishment of state-run procedures where children from Ukraine are forcibly transferred to Russia and adopted into Russian families. In clear defiance of international law, senior Russian government figures have themselves adopted forcibly transferred children.
In the face of such clear violations of international law, supporting this resolution was not only justified, but necessary. To abstain would be to look the other way.
Madam President,
The Nordic countries encourage all efforts towards a just and lasting peace in accordance with international law, including the UN Charter, and in full respect of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. While Ukraine repeatedly has called for a ceasefire, Russia has responded with repeated and deliberate attacks on civilians.
The Nordic countries reiterate our commitment to bringing the unlawfully deported and forcibly transferred Ukrainian children home. We will spare no effort until these children are returned and justice has prevailed. We stand wholeheartedly behind this resolution and demand that Russia ensures the immediate, safe and unconditional return of all the forcibly transferred and abducted Ukrainian children.
Thank you.
