A/67/256 Representative as a moral voice and advocate for children affected by armed conflict with the programmatic and technical expertise of UNICEF, creating a multiplier effect in the two entities’ contribution to child protection. 30. In the area of advocacy, the Special Representative has collaborated with Member States and key child protection actors on specific areas of common interest. For example, she hosted a panel discussion with representatives of the Governments of Colombia and Sierra Leone in October 2011 to share experiences in the prevention of violations against children. Similarly, the campaign for the universal ratification of the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict, described in paragraph 20 of the present report, is a joint endeavour with UNICEF, the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children and OHCHR. G. Advocacy efforts 31. The Special Representative, in her role as global advocate for children affected by armed conflict, continued to act as the moral voice for children in conflict zones. Through field trips, outreach and use of traditional and social media, she voiced the concerns of children in conflict areas, sought to increase solidarity with children affected by armed conflict and maintained a sense of urgency among key decision makers and other constituencies. 1. Field visits 32. The Special Representative’s emphasis on field missions continued 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 specific 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 carried out field visits to the Central African Republic and Somalia (November 2011), South Sudan (March 2012) and Myanmar (June 2012). 33. While in the Central African Republic, the Special Representative witnessed the signature of an action plan with the Convention des patriotes pour la justice et la paix, an armed group, to end the recruitment and use of children. Since then, progress has been made in the identification, separation and socioeconomic reintegration of children. The Special Representative also met the Prime Minister and other senior Government officials in Bangui and conducted field visits to Ndele and Obo. In Obo, she met victims of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and representatives of local authorities, civil society and the Ugandan People’s Defence Forces. As a result of her direct advocacy vis-à-vis the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Central African Republic ratified the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict in December 2011. 34. In Somalia, the Special Representative met the President, Prime Minister and other officials of the Transitional Federal Government. She also visited Marino Camp in central Mogadishu, where former Al-Shabaab combatants, including children, were being held by the Transitional Federal Government. During her visit, 12-45308 9