Stockholm, 10 June 2016 - On the year of the tenth anniversary of the UN Study on Violence against Children and as the implementation, follow-up and review process of the 2030 Agenda takes shape, SRSG on Violence against Children Marta Santos Pais co
31/05/2016
Stockholm,
10 June 2016
- On the year of the tenth anniversary of the UN Study on Violence against Children and as the implementation, follow-up and review process of the 2030 Agenda takes shape, SRSG on Violence against Children Marta Santos Pais convened the 6th Cross-Regional Round Table on the prevention and elimination of violence against children of regional organizations and institutions in Stockholm on 30-31 May to discuss the regions’ role in supporting efforts to reach the violence-related goals and targets agreed upon in Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development.
At the conclusion of this year’s annual forum, regional organizations and institutions participating in the event
committed to accelerating progress
in achieving the violence-related targets of Agenda 2030, especially target 16.2.
“Guided by this ambitious vision and energized by the resolve and action of regional organizations and institutions, we can together help shape the road ahead, making violence against children history: there could be no better way of celebrating the tenth anniversary of the UN Study on Violence against Children!” highlighted SRSG Santos Pais.
Acting as a bridge-builder between regions, SRSG Santos Pais convenes an
annual Cross-Regional Meeting
on violence against children with representatives from regional organizations and institutions. This important forum provides a strategic platform to assess progress achieved, reflect on trends and common concerns, and identify opportunities for cross-regional cooperation. Co-organized with the Council of Baltic Sea States, the focus of this year’s Cross-Regional Roundtable was “Ending violence against children: The vision and implementation of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development”.
Speaking at the opening of the Round Table, SRSG Santos Pais highlighted that “regional organizations and institutions are crucial catalysts of progress for the prevention and elimination of violence against children at both the regional and the national levels. They provide a strategic bridge between international commitments and national realities, and play an increasingly important role in informing and facilitating the cross-fertilization of experiences and lessons learnt, and the scaling up of positive experiences”.
One of the themes emerging from the dialogue between different regions was the importance of recognising the interconnected nature of the roots of violence, which are mirrored in the interconnected goals within Agenda 2030.
Framing the elimination of violence against children as both a human rights imperative and an issue of human development, participants recognized that the holistic vision and approach of the sustainable development goals was required to prevent and address violence against children in a comprehensive way. There was agreement on the different facets of such an approach, including investment in prevention and the high return for society in eliminating violence against children, the e