A/HRC/40/50 on 10 per cent of the world’s children and young people under 24 years of age. In 2018, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia launched the findings of their comprehensive surveys on violence against children. IV. Reinforcing regional processes in support of the implementation of Agenda 2030 61. Cooperation with regional organizations and institutions is a major thrust of the Special Representative’s strategy to accelerate progress in children’s protection from violence. These strong partnerships have helped to place this concern at the centre of the regional policy agenda, while enhancing the accountability of States and supporting national implementation efforts. 62. As part of this strategy, the Special Representative has hosted high-level regional consultations in the South and Central American, Caribbean, South Asian, Pacific, European and Arab regions. Six regional monitoring reports have been issued, with periodic review meetings conducted to sustain and accelerate progress. 63. Significant regional political commitments and implementation road maps have continued to be developed. A new generation of regional plans on ending violence against children is being developed, aligned with the 2030 Agenda. These plans have strengthened national legislation and public policies, consolidated data and research, and promoted awareness-raising campaigns. 64. The Special Representative organizes an annual high-level round table with regional organizations. The forum is a unique, strategic mechanism within the United Nations system to enhance cross-regional and South-South cooperation on ending violence against children through policy dialogue, sharing knowledge and good practices, and identifying trends and pressing challenges. 65. The eighth cross-regional round table took place in May 2018 in Thimphu, coorganized with the South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children and hosted by the Government of Bhutan. 66. The round table paid special attention to accelerating progress towards reaching the targets in the 2030 Agenda addressing violence, including the protection of children from harmful practices and child marriage, and the role of religious leaders in tackling violence against children.21 67. Participating regional organizations recognized the strategic opportunities provided in 2019 by the review of progress in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, including target 16.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals. To leverage these opportunities, they committed to contributing to the global thematic report on ending violence against children, referenced above. 68. The Special Representative will co-host the ninth cross-regional round table with the African Child Policy Forum, at the headquarters of the African Union, in Addis Ababa in February 2019. 69. The 2019 cross-regional meeting is aimed at consolidating efforts to end violence against children across the African continent, building upon the 2018 Day of the African Child which was devoted to the 2030 Agenda under the theme “Leave No Child Behind for Africa’s Development”. As noted on that occasion, failing to invest in essential services and children’s protection from violence runs the risk of leaving behind the vast majority of boys and girls, who constitute almost 50 per cent of the population of Africa. 70. The African Report on Child Well-being 2018 by the African Child Policy Forum found that while several countries had legislation, policies and institutions on children’s rights, many laws and practices were inconsistent with international standards. The high 21 See https://violenceagainstchildren.un.org/sites/violenceagainstchildren.un.org/ files/general/conclusions_recommendations_bhutan_2018.pdf. 11