Annual report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) on Violence Against Children to the UNGA. SRSG reports annually to the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly on progress achieved and lessons learned on the protection of children from violence.
Guided by General Assembly resolution 62/141, by which the Assembly established the mandate, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children is a global, independent advocate for the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children. In its resolution 76/147, the Assembly reaffirmed its support for the work of the Special Representative, recognizing the progress achieved and the role of the mandate in promoting further implementation of the recommendations stemming from the United Nations study on violence against children and in supporting Member States in their implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The Assembly also took note, with appreciation, of the leadership of the Special Representative in the follow-up to the United Nations global study on children deprived of liberty and encouraged the Special Representative to continue her work in that regard. In the present report, the Special Representative reviews actions she has taken at the global, regional and national levels to fulfill her mandate and provides an overview of the results achieved. She highlights how the need for action to prevent and respond effectively to violence against children is more urgent than ever. Too many children are still left behind, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and ongoing humanitarian crises have magnified their exposure and vulnerability to violence.
In the report, the Special Representative outlines the impact of the climate crisis on child protection and well-being, emphasizing the need to understand and address the linkages between those two pressing challenges and the manner in which the climate crisis acts as a threat multiplier for violence against children. The Special Representative stresses that, with less than eight years remaining to keep the promise made through the Sustainable Development Goals to end all forms of violence against children, there is a need to learn the lessons from the pandemic, ongoing humanitarian emergencies and the climate crisis and to invest in an inclusive, resilient and safe recovery for all children worldwide, leaving no one behind.
