A/HRC/37/47 I. Introduction 1. The present report covers the period from December 2016 to December 2017 and is submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 71/177, in which the Assembly requested the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict to submit a report to the Human Rights Council on the activities undertaken in fulfilment of her mandate, including information on her field visits, on the progress achieved and the challenges remaining on the children and armed conflict agenda. II. A vision going forward following 20 years of the children and armed conflict mandate 2. Since the inception of the mandate, the Special Representative and the Office of the Special Representative have played a central role in strengthening the protection of the rights of children affected by armed conflict, including through raising awareness and ensuring that the issue is prioritized on the international agenda. The appointment of the new Special Representative, Virginia Gamba, in early May 2017, therefore presented a timely opportunity to look forward and analyse how efforts could be elevated to end and prevent grave violations affecting children in conflict. To that end, the new Special Representative is aiming to enhance her mandated activities, both in terms of raising public awareness to mobilize global action and garnering lessons learned, and developing best practices to aid practitioners and Member States. Geneva-based mechanisms and entities will be a key part of that vision moving forward. 3. In the two decades since the establishment of the mandate, the United Nations has developed innovative methods to engage with both Governments and armed groups for the benefit of children most affected by war. As a result, 29 action plans have been signed with parties to conflict to end violations against children and establish mechanisms to prevent them. Where the context was conducive and political will was strong, steady progress was achieved, which led to the full implementation of action plans and the subsequent delisting of 11 parties to conflict from the annexes to the annual report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict. That represents a significant impact on the protection of the rights of children during armed conflict. 4. The public awareness campaign, entitled “Children, Not Soldiers”, launched jointly with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in 2014, catalysed further progress to protect children affected by armed conflict. The campaign, which focused on one of the six grave violations, namely ending and preventing the recruitment and use of children, led to tangible results. With greater awareness of the issue, the Special Representative, together with UNICEF, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Political Affairs, was able to expedite progress, and child protection advisers on the ground played a critical role in operationalizing action plans and further strengthening the overall child protection architecture. Concrete advances included the criminalization of the recruitment and use of children, the issuance of military command orders, the systematic screening of troops, the adoption of age-assessment guidelines, the development of handover protocols and the release and reintegration of children formerly associated with armed forces. 5. A range of other initiatives by the Special Representative and her Office have also had an impact, such as supporting the development of national legislation to protect children; accountability initiatives; advocating for the ratification of international instruments; and leveraging peace processes to engage with parties to conflict on children affected by violations, notably in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Nevertheless, the complexity of the current contexts of armed conflict has contributed to an increase in the number of children at risk in situations where human rights violations are occurring. The mandate is therefore at a critical juncture and both the international community and civil society will need to reflect on how to renew their commitment to build on past achievements and work towards the goal of providing the best possible protection for children affected by war. This juncture corresponds with the opportunities provided by the 3