Doha, 9 December 2026 - Leaders in diplomacy, mediation and humanitarian action met in Doha last Monday to discuss how strengthened humanitarian diplomacy can help secure access to aid and critical services for children caught up in conflict.
Save the Children International and the Doha-based Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, organised the workshop Strengthening Principled Humanitarian Access for Children in Conflict through Diplomacy at a time when children are bearing the brunt of conflict, with one in five children now living in conflict zones. A record 24,174 children had their rights violated in conflict last year, the highest number since the protection of Children in Armed Conflict (CAAC) mandate was established 30 years ago.
Restrictions on humanitarian aid in conflict zones are also at record levels, attacks on aid workers and humanitarian operations are increasing, and holding perpetrators to account remains a major challenge. Last year was the deadliest year on record for humanitarian workers, with more than 1,180 aid workersglobally victims of major attacks.
The workshop opened with keynote remarks by Her Excellency Dr. Mariam bint Ali bin Nasser Al-Misnad, Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar; Dr. Ghassan El-Kahlout, Director of the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies; and Mr. Ahmed Alhendawi, Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe at Save the Children International. The workshop was attended by a group of diplomats and humanitarian leaders, who together formulated a set of priorities and practical recommendations to improve opportunities for children to access humanitarian aid and services. These included using evidence of harm to children to drive diplomatic action, adopting a more child-focused approach to engagement with government and non-state actors, strengthening humanitarian exemptions, and removing barriers to dialogue with armed groups.
Participants also explored how harm to children could serve as an early warning indicator of deteriorating civilian protection, prompting earlier diplomatic action before conditions worsen.
During the workshop, participants explored ways to better link frontline humanitarian access negotiations with the diplomatic and political engagement needed to secure and sustain aid delivery. They also examined how children's fundamental rights, including access to education, healthcare and protection, can provide common ground for opening and maintaining dialogue with parties to a conflict.
Save the Children presented research showing that humanitarian access restrictions affect children differently and often more severely than adults. Participants also highlighted the importance of systematically integrating evidence of harm to children into humanitarian access monitoring, negotiations, diplomatic efforts and accountability mechanisms.
The discussions produced a set of priorities and recommendations that will form the basis of a joint action-oriented document to be presented to Member States, with the aim of strengthening humanitarian diplomacy for children in conflict-affected areas.