POLITICAL COMMITMENTS BY REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS TO PREVENT AND ADDRESS VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN in the framework of the process of follow-up to the recommendations of the UN Study on Violence against Children New York 2012 Table of contents Foreword………………………………………..…………………………………..…………………………………………….……………..…..…..…4 Joint Statement from the High-Level Roundtable on the Role of Regional Organizations on the Protection of Children from Violence (2011)…….…….5 Joint Statement on the Role of Regional Organizations and Institutions on the Protection of Children From Violence (2012)……………………………………………………………………..8 Statement issued by the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD XXIII) on sexual abuse of children in the Caribbean Region (2012)….………………………………………………....11 Kingston Declaration (2012)……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…..13 Roadmap to Protect Children against All Forms of Violence in the Caribbean (2012)…………………………………………………………………….………….16 Declaration of the Young Persons of the Caribbean (2012)………………………………………………..……….27 Santo Domingo Declaration (2011)………………………………………………………………..……………………………………31 Roadmap to contribute to the realization of the right of all boys, girls and adolescents to protection against all forms of violence in South America (2011)..…….……....34 Cairo Declaration on the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Islamic Jurisprudence (2009)……………………………………………............……47 Marrakesh Declaration Fourth Arab High Level Conference on the Rights of the Child (2011)….……...………………….………………………………..……....….…...54 The Doha Declaration(2012)………………………………………………………………………………….………….…….……….....61 The Beijing Declaration on South-South Cooperation for Child Rights in the Asia Pacific Region (2010)…………………………………………………………………………………………….…………….…….……65 Joint Statement of the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on Violence against Children (2012)………………72 The South Asia Call for Action on Ending Violence Against Children (SAIEVAC) - Colombo Declaration (2012)……………………………………………….……….…75 The South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children (SAIEVAC) 2010-2015 Workplan …………………………………………………………………….……………………………………..……...……………..……..….……79 15th Session of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (2010)…………………………………………………………………………………………….…….…..…….…...94 Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2012-2015)…….….………………..…………...99 2 Council of Europe Strategy for 2009-2011 adopted by the Committee of Ministers (2008)…………………………………………………………………………...115 Council of Europe Policy Guidelines on Integrated National Strategies for the Protection of Children from Violence (2009)……………………………………………………….…….…..123 Joint Communication to the European Parliament and the Council: Human Rights and Democracy at the Heart of EU External Action towards a more effective approach (2012)........................................................................................153 European Union Agenda for the Rights of the Child (2011)…………………………………..…….……..…….170 European Union Guidelines for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of the Child with Implementation Strategy on all forms of Violence against Children (2007)....................................................................................185 3 Foreword As Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, I am firmly committed to strengthening strategic alliances, within and beyond the United Nations system, to safeguard children’s right to freedom from violence. The collaboration with regional organizations and institutions to advance implementation of the recommendations of the UN Study on Violence against Children has been a critical dimension of this process. In the past two years, considerable progress has been achieved in this area with a growing institutionalization of regional governance structures and the development of regional initiatives. Leading regional organizations and institutions have pledged to protect children from violence, including the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the League of Arab States, the South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children (SAIEVAC), States in the Asia Pacific Region, the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC), the MERCOSUR Permanent Commission Nin@sur, the Council of Europe, the European Union, the African Union and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. This publication contains these important political commitments and represents a testimony of the achievements made across the globe, in pursuit of a common goal: preventing and eliminating violence against children. The commitments assembled in this publication open avenues for enhanced national implementation efforts and accelerated progress in securing children’s right to freedom from violence, everywhere and at all times. And they are also a strong reminder that violence against children is not inevitable and can be effectively prevented and addressed. Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children 4 Joint Statement from the High-Level Round Table on the Role of Regional Organizations on the Protection of Children From Violence 5 Joint Statement from the High-Level Round Table on the Role of Regional Organizations on the Protection of Children From Violence New York, USA, 11 October, 2011 We, the representatives of the Council of Europe, the League of Arab States, MERCOSUR Pro-Tempore Chairmanship of the Permanent Commission of the Initiative Nin@Sur, the South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children (SAIEVAC), and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child participating, with UNICEF, in the first held meeting of Regional Organizations and Institutions on Violence against Children, organized by the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence against Children (SRSG on VAC), Gathered in New York to share lessons learned and reflect on good practices and priority areas of concern resulting from the regional processes promoted in our respective regions to implement the recommendations of the United Nations Study on Violence against Children, Recognizing the critical role played by Regional Organizations and Institutions as catalysts of progress, at the regional and national levels, for the prevention and elimination of violence against children, Recognizing the priority attached by the SRSG on VAC to the consolidation of partnerships with Regional Organizations and Institutions to accelerate progress in the process of implementation of the recommendations of the UN Study on Violence against Children, Welcoming the support of the SRSG on VAC to the strengthening of regional governance structures and initiatives, and to cross-regional and South-South cooperation to promote and monitor progress in the follow-up to the UN Study on Violence against Children, Noting with appreciation the important role played by civil society in support of the process of follow-up to the UN Study on Violence against Children, Express our determination to accelerate efforts for the prevention and elimination of violence against children in all its forms and to promote cross-regional and South-South cooperation, in particular with a view to supporting: a) The development of well-coordinated and well-resourced national agendas on violence against children, supplied with effective implementation and monitoring mechanisms; b) The development of national legislation to prohibit all forms of violence against children in all settings; 6 c) The consolidation of national data systems and research on violence against children and the dissemination of relevant information to inform advocacy, policy making and resource mobilization to safeguard children’s right to freedom from violence. We recognize the richness and potential of cross-regional and South-South cooperation and in close cooperation with the SRSG on VAC and with the support of UNICEF, commit to: a) Promote the sharing of experiences, good practices and lessons learned on the process of implementation of the UN Study on Violence against Children; b) Support initiatives to enable cross-fertilization of regional experiences, good practices and lessons learned; c) Support the development of a platform, under the auspices of the SRSG on VAC, for knowledge-sharing on regional efforts to protect children from violence and to ensure easy access to relevant information on measures and processes promoted at the regional level to prevent and eliminate violence against children in all settings; d) Promote cooperation with key stakeholders, including independent institutions on the rights of the child, parliamentarians, civil society, including children, religious leaders, the private sector and the media to strengthen children’s protection from violence; e) Support initiatives to build a culture of respect for children’s rights and freedom of violence; and in this regard, strengthen partnerships with the media; f) Meet on a regular basis and support the SRSG on VAC mandate and global efforts to effectively prevent and address violence against children. New York, 11 October 2011 7 Joint Statement on the Role of Regional Organizations and Institutions on the Protection of Children From Violence 8 Joint Statement on the Role of Regional Organizations and Institutions on the