A/HRC/27/31 B. Governance and coordination 45. Governance of child health means ensuring that the appropriate systems and coordination mechanisms are in place to facilitate the full realization of all child healthrelated rights and to provide avenues for remedy and redress where obligations are not fulfilled. This includes ensuring collaboration, coordination and dialogue between government ministries, local governments, service providers and communities, and supporting systematic monitoring and follow-up action to ensure that children’s healthrelated rights are realized.26 46. Strong governance and coordination mechanisms are particularly critical in the context of a human rights-based approach to child mortality and morbidity given the need for attention to the wide range of actors involved, including health and other sectors within government, the private sector, families, communities, civil society and other stakeholders. Building on existing systems, strengthening them and adapting them as appropriate can facilitate the realization of child health-related rights and reduce child mortality and morbidity. 47. Decisions about allocations to different levels of services and geographical areas should reflect patterns of mortality and morbidity, the core elements of the primary health care approach and due attention to disadvantaged groups. While decentralization or delegation may be required to meet the particular needs of localities, sectors or federal systems, this does not reduce the direct responsibility of the central or national government to fulfil its obligations to all children within its jurisdiction. Similarly, the State remains fully accountable, regardless of the level of involvement of the private sector. 48. States are required to: (a) Ratify and implement international human rights instruments and their related optional protocols relevant to under-5 mortality and morbidity, and ensure the inclusion of information on efforts made to reduce under-5 mortality and morbidity in periodic reports to human rights mechanisms; (b) Adopt and enforce appropriate laws and regulations; (c) Ensure that appropriate structures, processes and resources are made available to translate laws and policies relating to child health and survival into practice, including institutional reform and capacity-building for duty-bearers to enable them to understand and meet their obligations as required; (d) Identify and remove obstacles to transparency, coordination, partnership and accountability in the provision of services affecting child health and survival; (e) Establish and use a comprehensive and cohesive national coordinating framework on children’s health, situated within child welfare and protection systems as well as within the continuum of care for reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health, and built upon human rights standards and principles. This will facilitate cooperation between government ministries and different levels of government, as well as interaction with civil society, including parents and other caregivers; 26 10 UNICEF Cambodia, “Local governance for child rights”.