A/HRC/16/54 I. Mandate and strategic priorities 1. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children acts as a high profile, global independent advocate to promote the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children. Her mandate is framed by the United Nations study on violence against children and its strategic recommendations (A/61/299), and promotes children’s protection from violence as a human rights imperative. The Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocols thereto, and other international human rights instruments, provide a firm normative foundation for the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children. For this reason, the Special Representative promotes the universal ratification of core human rights treaties. 2. The Special Representative acts as a bridge-builder and a catalyst of actions in all regions, across sectors and in settings where violence against children may occur. She cooperates with a wide range of strategic partners within and beyond the United Nations system, and mobilizes action and political support to maintain momentum around this agenda, to generate renewed concern with regard to the harmful effects of violence on children, to promote behavioural and social change, and to achieve steady progress along the way. 3. The Special Representative makes use of mutually supportive strategies, including by promoting advocacy for children’s protection from violence; contributing to strategic meetings at the international, regional and national levels to accelerate progress in this field, to identify good practices and promote the cross-fertilization of experiences across regions, sectors and settings; organizing field missions; and developing thematic studies and reports. 4. As explained in her previous reports submitted to the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly,1 the Special Representative places priority focus on: (a) Promoting a strategic agenda, building upon the recommendations of the United Nations study; (b) Strengthening key partnerships to achieve progress in the follow-up to the study; (c) Securing firm support, including sound funding, to promote progress in violence prevention and in the protection of children from all forms of violence. II. A strategic agenda for the implementation of the United Nations study 5. The recommendations of the United Nations study provide a navigation chart to accelerate and monitor progress in violence prevention and responses. In view of their particular urgency, the study identified time-bound targets for three recommendations. For this reason, these are also the areas to which the Special Representative gives special attention, namely: (a) The development in each State of a national comprehensive strategy to prevent and respond to all forms of violence; (b) The introduction of an explicit legal ban on all forms of violence against children, in all settings; 1 GE.11-11445 A/HRC/13/46 and A/65/262. 3