A/HRC/13/46 V. Cooperation with key partners A. Cooperation with the United Nations system, in particular with the Special Representative for children and armed conflict and members of the Inter-Agency Working Group on Violence against Children 19. Since the start of her mandate, the Special Representative has given very high priority to the promotion of enhanced synergies with United Nations partners in the area of violence against children. 20. Strong cooperation has been developed with the Special Representative for children and armed conflict. Regular meetings are held to exchange information and discuss areas for a mutually supportive collaboration, including in the promotion of joint initiatives and missions, and the consideration of joint advocacy and awareness-raising activities for the protection of children’s rights. In this regard, the joint participation in international conferences of relevance for both mandates was particularly valuable. Strategic opportunities will continue to be considered for enhancing further this critical collaboration around the strong human rights foundation shared by both mandates, including in the context of the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 2010. 21. In her collaboration with United Nations organizations, the Special Representative on violence against children has built upon existing inter-agency structures and mechanisms, in particular the Inter-Agency Working Group on Violence against Children, of which the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are core members. The InterAgency Working Group is a critical forum for consultation, promotion of policy formulation and mainstreaming of concerns related to violence against children within the United Nations system’s agenda. 22. The Special Representative has maintained very close cooperation with the core members of the Working Group, having held important bilateral discussions and a workinglevel meeting of the Inter-Agency Working Group in Geneva. The Special Representative welcomes the critical advice received and the support provided, which have been of decisive relevance for the shaping of her mandate and the missions she has conducted. 23. UNICEF provides administrative support to the Office of the Special Representative and has established a trust fund for the financial contributions provided in support of the Special Representative’s mandate. Protection of children from violence is a key dimension of the UNICEF mandate and, as noted in the sections above, the Special Representative has been associated with important initiatives promoted by that organization. 24. In the framework of its 2008 Child Protection Strategy, UNICEF supports the follow-up to the United Nations study by strengthening child protection systems and promoting social change in attitudes and behaviours towards children. The Special Representative participated in important discussions on the implementation of the UNICEF strategy and its focus on the protection of children from violence, at headquarters and in the Middle East and North Africa and in the Latin America and Caribbean regions. She has made significant inroads into collaborating with UNICEF on child protection, having initiated discussions with the child protection unit in UNICEF and the Special Representative for children and armed conflict to enhance synergies and promote complementary work in areas falling within her mandate. 8 GE.10-10640