A/HRC/37/48 99. Since the adoption in 2015 of the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence against Children, the Special Representative has continued to promote actively its implementation in collaboration with the ASEAN secretariat, the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children, and ASEAN States members. 100. The Regional Plan, which is framed by the 2030 Agenda, provides a powerful example of how regional cooperation can support national action to protect children from violence and to advance progress to achieve the violence-related targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. It proposes concrete actions within a realistic time frame, including the promotion of non-violent approaches to child discipline; the deinstitutionalization of children; the protection of children from online abuse; the promotion of child-friendly justice proceedings; the prevention of deprivation of liberty of children; the promotion of alternatives to detention; and awareness-raising campaigns to break the invisibility of violence and to secure the protection of child victims. 101. To sustain progress in implementation of the Regional Plan and to support a midterm review, UNICEF developed an important baseline study in collaboration with ASEAN States Members and representatives of the Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children in 2017. The study acknowledges the initiatives under way, provides positive practices and lessons learned, and identifies gaps and opportunities for accelerating progress in the priority areas of the Plan. 102. The ASEAN Guidelines for a Non-Violent Approach to Nurture, Care and Development of Children in All Settings are an important initiative highlighted by the baseline study. The Guidelines promote children’s development and well-being, and the elimination of violence in all settings, and address violence among children, including the risk of bullying, and physical, verbal and sexual abuse, including online abuse. 103. The Special Representative continued her cooperation with the Organization of American States. In September 2017, at its ninety-second session, in Barbados, the InterAmerican Institute adopted a resolution on violence against children, in which it reaffirmed the commitment of Member States to promote violence prevention and elimination in all settings, in accordance with the 2030 Agenda. It also stressed the importance of sharing good practices and experiences, especially on children’s protection from sexual exploitation and the minimum age of criminal responsibility, and called for greater use of alternatives to the deprivation of liberty of children. 104. Significant efforts have been made in the region to strengthen national child protection systems. An inter-American forum, the Foro Interamericano de Sistemas Nacionales de Protección Integral de Niñas, Niños y Adolescentes, was held in April 2017 with the participation of national Governments, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and civil society partners to promote comprehensive protection systems. Participants in the Forum highlighted the persisting challenges that compromised the rights of vulnerable groups, including indigenous children, children with disabilities, those affected by migration and refugee situations, and children in early childhood. Recognizing the importance of sharing experiences between countries in the region, they called for better coordination across all levels of administration, supported by sound policies, institutions and funding; consolidated systems of monitoring and evaluation of public policies; the active engagement of local authorities and civil society organizations in implementation efforts; and the institutionalization of permanent platforms for the participation of children and adolescents. 105. In the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), guidelines for the promotion of positive discipline and the prevention of violence against children are being developed in accordance with the 2030 Agenda and its violence-related targets. The guidelines will help 16