A/HRC/43/39 22. The views of children were also captured in the report of the Special Representative, which builds on interviews with several hundred girls and boys deprived of liberty and who have a parent or guardian deprived of liberty in eight Latin American countries.8 Based on the recommendations from the children consulted, a set of materials was developed to promote the integration of a child rights approach into the penitentiary system.9 23. In March 2019, the Special Representative issued a child-friendly publication in collaboration with Save the Children on two joint general comments adopted by Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families regarding the safeguarding of the rights of children in the context of international migration.10 24. The Special Representative welcomes the growing attention to voices of youth. However, it is crucial also to ensure a focus on children as a distinct group, as defined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The unique perspective of children cannot be replaced and we need to keep a focus on the whole life cycle of children and young people. III. Reinforcing regional processes in support of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 25. The Special Representative addressed member States of the Organization of American States during the twenty-second Pan American Congress on Children and Adolescents held in Cartagena, Colombia, from 28 to 30 October 2019, at which an action plan on child rights for the period 2020–2023 was adopted. The Special Representative stressed the importance of accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda through strengthening national child protection systems. 26. The Special Representative provided inputs to the development by the Caribbean Community of a strategy on the prevention of violence against children for the period 2020–2029. 27. The Office of the Special Representative participated in the fifteenth session of the Committee on Violence against Children of the League of Arab States held in Nouakchott from 30 September to 2 October 2019. The Committee commissioned the secretariat of the League to prepare the fourth comparative report on the implementation by the Arab world of the recommendations of the United Nations study on violence against children (A/61/299) by 2021, in cooperation with the Office of the Special Representative. 28. The Special Representative provided inputs to the report of the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean and participated in the related regional seminar on firearms in schools, held in Lima on 22 and 23 October, which mobilized technical experts working in ministries responsible for children’s rights and on security and disarmament in Latin America and the Caribbean. 29. In November 2019, the Council of Europe hosted a high-level conference to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the midterm evaluation of the strategy for the rights of the child, in which the Special Representative participated as a keynote speaker. The mid-term evaluation found that overall, the priorities and actions of the strategy remained well-suited to the challenges facing the realization of children’s rights in Member States. However, some scope for further action was noted in 8 9 10 6 Office of the Special Representative, “Children speak about the impact of deprivation of liberty: the case of Latin America” (2016). Available at https://violenceagainstchildren.un.org/sites/violenceagainstchildren.un.org/files/children_ declarations/child_participation/entre_hechos_y_derechos.pdf (in Spanish). Available at https://violenceagainstchildren.un.org/sites/violenceagainstchildren.un.org/files/ children_declarations/child_participation/finalmis_derechos_viajan_conmigo_final.pdf (in Spanish).