A/HRC/34/45 urgent measures to address emerging threats posed by online abuse and cyberbullying and reaffirmed their decisive role as agents of change in bringing an end to violence. 89. In March 2016, the Special Representative participated as a keynote speaker in the high-level meeting of the South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children to review progress made and discuss the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the region. Significant progress has been achieved during the past 10 years in the institutionalization of the Initiative and in national action to advance implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations study. Building upon this process, participants highlighted the unique momentum provided by the implementation of the 2030 Agenda to further strengthen the protection of children and to inform the Initiative’s new five-year plan. Regional priorities, such as ending sexual exploitation and abuse of children; child labour; and harmful practices, including child marriage, corporal punishment and violence in schools, provide a sound basis for aligning regional and country-level action with the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and achievement of the violence-related Sustainable Development Goal targets. 90. These important conclusions were endorsed by the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children, hosted by the Government of India, which reiterated the important role of the Initiative in promoting progress in the preventing violence against children agenda in South Asia. 91. In July 2016, at an event hosted by the Government of Bhutan, the South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children and ILO launched Alliance 8.7: working together to end child labour and modern slavery, to further reinforce the collective efforts to move the 2030 Agenda forward in South Asia. The Initiative’s regional action plan to prevent and eliminate child labour and a review of the engagement of the faith and interfaith actors in ending violence against children in South Asia were also launched on that occasion. 92. The Special Representative’s collaboration with the Council of Europe has been crucial in strengthening children’s freedom from violence across Europe. The Council has been a driver of regional initiatives to promote the implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations study and support the Special Representative’s mandate. 93. In April 2016, in Sofia, the Council launched its new Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2016-2021), which was developed with the participation of the Special Representative. Children’s freedom from violence is at the heart of the Strategy and is mainstreamed in actions concerning the protection of children from online abuse; the promotion of child participation; the development of child-friendly justice; the prevention of deprivation of liberty and the promotion of diversion measures; and the protection of children on the move. 94. The Strategy is designed to support implementation of the 2030 Agenda and offers important opportunities to further strengthen the Special Representative’s cooperation with the Council of Europe and to enhance support to its member States in their efforts to implement the Sustainable Development Goal targets and accelerate progress towards target 16.2. This includes supporting the enactment of legislation to ban all forms of violence and establish child-friendly counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms to address incidents of violence; the development of integrated national strategies on the protection of children from violence; the identification of strategic indicators to monitor progress towards target 16.2; the safeguarding of the rights of children on the move and their protection from violence; and supporting the Council of Europe in its role as a clearing house of sound data and experiences, and as a platform for peer support among Governments. 19