"Statement by Syed Ansar Shah,First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN, At Arria-Formula Meeting on Safeguarding Education in Sudan: Investing in Peace, Recovery and Stability(7 August 2026)*****Madam Chair,I thank Somalia for convening this important meeting. I also thank DSG Amina Mohammed, Mr. Hannan Sulieman, Ms. Lisa Chung-Bender and others for their sobering briefings.2. The crisis in Sudan is not only a humanitarian and security catastrophe. It is also a crisis that risks depriving an entire generation of Sudanese children of education, opportunity and hope. For more than three years, since April 2023, millions of Sudanese children have been uprooted, traumatized and deprived of the stability, safety and learning that every child deserves.3. Education has been one of the gravest casualties of this conflict. More than 17 million children have had their education severely disrupted, including approximately 8 million who are currently out of schools. In Darfur alone, more than 3 million school-age children are out of learning. These are not just statistics. They represent a generation at risk of being lost to displacement, poverty, exploitation, despair and recruitment by negative actors.4. Pakistan strongly condemns attacks against schools, students, teachers and educational personnel. Schools must never be attacked or used for purposes that expose children to harm. Under international humanitarian law and the relevant Security Council resolutions on children and armed conflict, educational facilities must be protected, and childrens right to education must be preserved even in emergencies.Madam Chair,5. Safeguarding education in Sudan is not a secondary issue. It is central to civilian protection, national recovery and sustainable peace. Children who lose years of schooling today will be the doctors, teachers, engineers, civil servants and community leaders Sudan will need tomorrow. If their education is abandoned, Sudans recovery will be delayed for decades.6.Three priorities are essential.First, all parties must respect international humanitarian law, protect schools and ensure safe access for children, teachers and humanitarian actors.Second, the international efforts must prioritize education, emergency learning, school rehabilitation and teacher support for displaced and refugee children.Third, Sudans nationally recognized education system must be preserved, including examinations, certification and recognition of qualifications. This is vital for national cohesion and for ensuring that displaced children are not permanently excluded from future opportunities.7. Top priority and ultimate objective must be to bring a swift end to this conflict.8. Pakistan reiterates its firm support for Sudans sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. We reject any parallel governing structure aim at fragmenting Sudan and destroying the future of its youth. We call upon all Sudanese stakeholders to come together, reject the path of conflict, and pursue a diplomatic solution for the sake of Sudan, its people and its youth. I thank you***********"