A/75/149 I. Introduction 1. In the present report, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children reviews developments that she has promoted at the global, regional and national levels and provides an overview of the results achieved. The report covers the first year of the current ma ndate holder, Najat Maalla M’jid, who took up her position on 1 July 2019. 2. Guided by General Assembly resolution 62/141, by which the Assembly established the mandate, the Special Representative is a global, independent advocate for the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children. In its resolution 72/245, the Assembly reaffirmed its support for the work of the then Special Representative, recognizing the progress she had achieved and the consolidated partnerships she had promoted, and welcomed her efforts to mainstream the recommendations of the United Nations study on violence against children (see A/61/299). 3. In accordance with the vision outlined for the way forward in her previous report (A/74/259), the current Special Representative developed a two-year road map for the work to be carried out under the mandate after consultation with key stakeholders. The road map serves to identify three strategic priorities: accelerating progress towards target 16.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals and other related Goals; ensuring that efforts to combat all forms of violence against children are included in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; and listening to and involving children in the work of the mandate. 4. A new sense of urgency emerged at the beginning of the year with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and its unprecedented global impact. The pandemic and the measures taken in response to it have increased the risk of children being exposed to violence, especially those who were already in vulnerable situations before the pandemic. It has also reduced the capacity of essential services to effectively prevent and respond to violence and undermined progress achieved ac ross a range of Sustainable Development Goals. 5. The present report sets out the action undertaken by the mandate holder to achieve its priorities and address the new challenges created by the COVID -19 pandemic. The response to the pandemic in particular required the activities planned under the mandate to be modified rapidly and adapted to the new reality. The report concludes with recommendations for the way forward in ensuring that ending violence against children is a priority both during and after the pandemic, as the international community embarks on the decade of action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. II. Mobilizing accelerated action to prevent and end all forms of violence against children A. Leaving no child behind 6. At the high-level political forum on sustainable development in 2019, the Special Representative, in cooperation with a wide range of partners, including children themselves, presented the report entitled Keeping the Promise: Ending Violence against Children by 2030. According to the report, violence against children remains hidden and pervasive, undermining progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and full implementation of the 2030 Agenda. 2/18 20-10115