A/66/256 6. The Special Representative’s emphasis on field missions continues to be central to her advocacy efforts. Field visits enable first-hand assessments of the situation of children, engagement with Governments to support their efforts in protecting children, the securing of concrete commitments from parties to conflict on child protection and support for the implementation of monitoring and reporting activities, and dialogue with relevant parties. During the reporting period and upon the invitation of the Governments concerned, the Special Representative undertook field visits to Somalia (November 2010), Afghanistan (January 2011), the Philippines (April 2011), and Chad (June 2011). B. Building global partnerships 7. In line with the mandate given to the Special Representative by the General Assembly, building global partnerships and a network of stakeholders is indispensable to enhancing protection. Playing a convening role, the Special Representative brings together those with stakes in the protection of children affected by armed conflict and acts as a bridge between all parties. 8. Maintaining close contact with members of the General Assembly in order to create awareness, take stock of their priorities and strengthen global support for the protection of children affected by armed conflict has been a key priority for the Special Representative. The Group of Friends of Children and Armed Conflict, composed of Member States from all regional groups committed to the child protection agenda, has been critical for this engagement. 9. Continuing consultations with Member States, particularly during the preparation of the Secretary-General’s annual and country-specific reports on children and armed conflict, are essential to ensure that the concerns of Member States are taken into account in the drafting of the reports. Going forward, the Special Representative aims to continue this critical dialogue with concerned Member States, in order to strengthen collaboration and ensure buy-in and commitment to the protection of children. 10. Civil society organizations are fundamental to the work of the Office of the Special Representative. They inform the Office of emerging matters of concern, provide innovative suggestions on policy questions and challenges and alert the Office to areas in need of improvement, when necessary. The Special Representative works closely with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operating at the global and national levels and holds regular meetings with civil society representatives to brainstorm, discuss areas of common concern and keep them abreast of developments on the agenda. Concerted advocacy efforts on specific country situations during the reporting period, including on the situation of children affected by conflict in the Central African Republic, have led to a closer partnership with the authorities, increased international attention and operational commitments by child protection partners on the ground. C. Collection of information on children affected by armed conflict 11. With the establishment of the monitoring and reporting mechanism on children and armed conflict in 2005 pursuant to Security Council resolution 1612 (2005) and its subsequent implementation in various countries, efforts to gather timely and 11-44370 3