A/66/227 A. Cooperation with the United Nations system, including human rights treaty bodies and mechanisms 81. Collaboration with United Nations partners has been crucial in raising awareness of and broadening global support for the protection of children from violence, promoting the mainstreaming of this topic into United Nations activities, and generating policy debate through the holding of strategic panel discussions with key partners on areas of critical concern. 82. The periodic meetings of the Inter-Agency Working Group are an important forum for consultation, policy formulation and mainstreaming within the United Nations agenda on violence against children. This strategic cooperation has led to significant initiatives, including the advancement of the campaign for the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the promotion of better data and research in order to put an end to the invisibility and social acceptance of violence and to support strategic advocacy, policy development and resource mobilization. 83. In 2011, in order to further mainstream into the United Nations agenda the protection of children from violence, the Special Representative has promoted a number of high-level policy discussions. These have taken place in such forums as the Human Rights Council, in discussions on the rights of street children and on child-sensitive mechanisms for addressing incidents of violence; the Commission for Social Development, in discussions on extreme poverty and violence against children; the Commission on the Status of Women, in discussions on tackling violence, including sexual violence, against girls and on quality education and gender discrimination; and in the lead-up to the General Assembly, in discussions on the rights of children with disabilities. In addition, strategic cooperation has been promoted with United Nations partners to curb violence in communities and minimize the impacts of situations of armed and gang violence on children, including through policies that help to reduce the availability of and access to small arms. 84. Furthermore, the Special Representative has pursued close collaboration with human rights treaty bodies and mechanisms in order to capitalize on synergies across mandates and to promote a mutually supportive agenda. The joint report with the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography shows the potential of such strategic cooperation. Similarly, concerted efforts have been deployed in support of the new optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, providing for a communication procedure. 85. The partnership with the Committee on the Rights of the Child has been particularly strategic, including in encouraging the universal ratification and effective implementation of international children’s rights treaties, promoting advocacy and law reform on violence prevention and elimination, and establishing safe and child-sensitive counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms to address incidents of violence. The Committee’s adoption of a general comment on the right of the child to freedom from violence 7 opens new avenues for strategic cooperation. __________________ 7 11-44118 CRC/C/GC/13. 17