A/72/275 accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal targets on children’s protection from violence. 87. Guided by the theme of the 2017 high-level political forum on sustainable development, the meeting provided a valuable platform to share regional experiences and good practices to address the multifaceted nature of deprivation and violence against children, including by promoting access to universal, inclusive and child-sensitive basic social services of quality. Of particular importance are initiatives in different regions, including the Baltic Sea States; cross -sectoral cooperation and integrated services to prevent violence; investment in early childhood care; the ensuring of effective family support and social protection measures; and promotion the social inclusion of those left behind. 88. Representatives from regional organizations reaffirmed their commitment to use the opportunity provided by the high-level political forum on sustainable development and the development of voluntary national reviews to accelerate progress towards the elimination of all forms of violence against children. They highlighted the importance of mobilizing adequate national resources an d official development assistance to support violence prevention and response initiatives, as well as of strengthening data systems to inform decisions and monitor and sustain progress. 89. Moreover, participants recognized the critical role of children as agents of change and the importance of undertaking action informed by children’s views and experiences. In this spirit, an ASEAN children’s forum was held alongside the meeting, creating an opportunity for a strategic engagement with young people from the ASEAN region. The children’s forum discussions placed a special emphasis on children’s empowerment and participation to prevent and address incidents of violence, and on risks associated with bullying and online abuse. 90. The young participants at the Forum stressed the importance of enjoying a loving and supportive environment and called for awareness -raising and information-sharing initiatives so that they could become empowered citizens, identify risks, report incidents and seek help from child -sensitive services. They recognized the need for urgent government action, including effective laws, policies and budgets, as well as good parenting and early childhood initiatives, training for professionals working with children, and genuine opportunities and p latforms for open discussions with young people. As children highlighted: “Everyone has a role to play and, if we are willing to end violence against children, we can make the world a better place!” 91. In 2018, the Special Representative will co-host the cross-regional meeting with the South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children. Significant developments continue to be pursued in South Asia to further strengthen children’s protection from violence, while special emphasis is being placed on advan cing implementation of the regional plan of action for the prevention and elimination of child labour for the period 2016-2021 and developing a regional strategy to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation. 92. The vision of Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want 15 and Africa’s Agenda for Children 2040, 16 which was adopted by the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child in 2016, are aligned with the 2030 Agenda. Africa’s Agenda for Children 2040 includes a dedicated goal of prot ecting every child __________________ 15 16 14/18 https://au.int/en/Agenda2063/popular_version. www.acerwc.org/download/africas-agenda-for-children-rights-2040english_version/?wpdmdl=9752. 17-13267