A/HRC/52/61
principles designed to guide action in response to similar crises in the future, draws on the
expertise and mandates of the various United Nations entities and offers a road map for
achieving a holistic response.
33.
As a member of the Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons,
the Special Representative took part in several joint initiatives and submissions in 2022.
These included a joint statement on the World Day against Trafficking in Persons in which
States and stakeholders were called on to leverage technology to end trafficking and a call to
action to prevent and combat trafficking in humanitarian crises and conflicts.13 In 2023, the
Special Representative will co-chair the Inter-Agency Coordination Group against
Trafficking in Persons alongside the International Organization for Migration, emphasizing
the need to amplify the voices of children and advocate for an end to all forms of violence
against children, including trafficking in children.
34.
Together with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Special
Representative strengthened cooperation towards child online protection, emphasizing the
critical role of the digital environment for children’s protection and well-being. Technical
input has supported the development of e-learning training modules on child online
protection for policymakers; and the drafting of recommendations on child online protection
in sports organizations, with the aim of providing tangible guidance for a variety of sports
organizations. The Special Representative has also engaged with the Envoy of the SecretaryGeneral on Technology to explore ways to promote the inclusion of children’s rights and
protection in the proposed global digital compact.
35.
The promotion of children’s participation regarding their well-being online has been
another key area of cooperation with ITU and other United Nations partners. In collaboration
with the Envoy of the Secretary-General on Youth, the Office of the Special Representative
invited Member States to include children in consultations related to the drafting of the Youth
Declaration on Transforming Education, which was presented during the Transforming
Education Summit. The Special Representative also supported and participated in the highlevel event entitled "Leadership of the new generations: children and adolescents with
disabilities and their voices post COVID-19" during the fifteenth session of the Conference
of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,
at which the declaration from children and adolescents with disabilities was launched.
36.
The Special Representative is encouraged by ongoing cooperation with the United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and, in particular, by ongoing efforts to
develop a join road map towards increasing the focus in programmatic work on violence and
other crimes against children. In her engagement with the World Health Organization, the
Special Representative has focused on raising awareness and mobilizing action to tackle
sexual violence against children. She has also pursued strong collaboration with the
International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) on the protection of children from
online sexual exploitation and abuse, trafficking and other crimes against children, as well as
on promoting and implementing stronger child victim safeguarding.
Close cooperation with civil society and faith-based organizations
37.
The Special Representative continued her systematic engagement with local, regional
and global civil society organizations, child and youth-led organizations and faith-based
organizations through regular updates and joint and complementary advocacy, events and
campaigns, as well as in the context of her country visits. Joint action aims at maintaining
momentum on the protection of children from violence, building the investment case for
violence prevention and mainstreaming and monitoring children’s rights.
38.
The Special Representative contributed to the development of a tool kit on nurturing
the spiritual development of children in their early years, and participated in its launch, which
coincided with the World Day of Prayer and Action for Children.14 She has also collaborated
13
14
8
See, respectively,
https://icat.un.org/sites/g/files/tmzbdl461/files/publications/icat_statement_wdat_2022.pdf; and
https://icat.un.org/sites/g/files/tmzbdl461/files/publications/icat_call_to_action.pdf.
See https://childspiritualdevelopment.org/prueba/.
GE.22-29128