A/69/264 organizations and Jamaican children shared their expertise, concerns and recommendations for accelerating progress in the prevention and elimination of young children’s exposure to violence. 61. Regional representatives reported on new strategies, legislative reforms, information campaigns and in-depth studies to advance implementation of the study recommendations. Recognizing the crucial importance of early childhood for children’s development and well-being, regional organizations and institutions expressed commitment to further strengthen their cooperation to prevent and address violence, abuse and neglect in early years; to raise awareness and document good practices on positive parenting and positive discipline, and on the negative impact of violence on children’s development and well-being. They further committed to mobilize political engagement to protect children from violence, neglect and abuse, including through the development of national, mu ltisectoral integrated strategies and comprehensive legislation to ban all forms of violence; to adopt policies and programmes to support families and caregivers in their child rearing responsibilities and prevent child abandonment and placement in residen tial care; and to consolidate data and research to inform decision -making. 62. Over the past year, cooperation with the African Union Labour and Social Affairs Commission and the African Committee on the Rights and Welfare of the Child gained a renewed relevance with the launch, in May 2014, of the Campaign and Call to Action to End Child Marriage in Africa. The Campaign and the national launches anticipated in 10 countries provide a sound basis for this important collaboration and for enhancing regional initiatives in support of the abandonment of harmful practices against children. 63. The partnership with the Central American Integration System was further advanced with the participation of the Special Representative at the Ministerial Meeting of the Commission on Security, held in May in the Dominican Republic. The meeting provided a strategic platform to discuss the impact on children of armed violence, drug trafficking and organized crime, including in the context of migration to identify measures to address these serious manifestations of violence. One important outcome was the agreement to include these dimensions in the Central American Strategy on Security. 64. In the framework of her cooperation with the Council of Europe, in March 2014, the Special Representative participated in the High Level Conference held in Dubrovnik (Croatia), which reviewed progress in the implementation of the Council’s Strategy for the Rights of the Child 2012 -2015. The elimination of violence against children is one of its core objectives. Framed by the sound normative work of the Council, including on the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, on cybercrime and on gender and domestic violence, the meeting promoted the further implementation o f the vast array of policy guidelines, training programmes and awareness campaigns for violence prevention and response. As a follow-up, enhanced efforts will be made to support positive parenting, child participation and empowerment in the digital world, and child-friendly justice, social services and health care. Moreover, the Council was invited to address the vulnerability of children impacted by the economic crisis in Europe; and the role of education, media and advertising in preserving children’s human dignity, and combating gender stereotypes and sexual violence. 14-58801 13/23

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