A/HRC/43/39 for society, according to some estimates up to $7 trillion per year, slowing economic development and eroding the human and social capital of States.6 8. In the present report, the Special Representative outlines the urgent need for stronger action if the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals related to violence and mental health are to be achieved and obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child fulfilled. A failure to tackle the issues of mental health and violence against children will therefore undermine the achievement of many targets under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. II. Accelerating action to end violence against children by 2030 9. Thirty years ago, in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, understanding of children’s agency and their power was reframed and children went from being passive recipients of services to individual rights holders with a voice. The Convention is one of the most comprehensive human rights instruments and this holistic approach was also adopted in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals. The Goals are a crucial tool for realizing the rights in the Convention and they cannot be achieved if the rights in the Convention are not fulfilled. 10. Sustainable Development Goal 16 calls for the promotion of peaceful, just and inclusive societies as enablers of sustainable development, hence making clear the links between human rights and development. It also includes a distinct target (16.2) on ending abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children. Goal 16 underpins all the other Goals: without increased equal access to justice, security and inclusiveness, without reaching vulnerable populations and paying specific attention to children, it will be impossible to create conditions for sustaining peace and development. 11. At the high-level political forum on sustainable development in July 2019, 40 out of 47 voluntary national reviews included references to the protection of children from violence. The reviews documented a wide range of measures, including the adoption of national plans and policies; the enactment or reform of legislation; the strengthening of institutions and partnerships; the training of professionals; and the consolidation of data and research. In addition, a number of States reported in their reviews various initiatives in which children were participating as stakeholders in the implementation processes of the Sustainable Development Goals. 12. The Special Representative delivered a statement at the opening session of the highlevel forum on the subject of “Putting children at the heart of the 2030 Agenda”, in which she emphasized that violence was a cross-cutting concern on the 2030 Agenda because of its negative impact on every aspect of development and that ending it must remain a priority. In closing, she posed a key question: if the costs of inaction on violence against children are so high and the solutions are known, why does it continue? What must be done to move better, faster and further in bringing it to an end? This strong message was also conveyed to the summit on the Sustainable Development Goals in September 2019. 13. The Special Representative was actively engaged in the review processes for the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development to help ensure that distinct attention was given to the violence-related targets of the Sustainable Development Goals and their role in achieving the vision of the 2030 Agenda. That included launching a call for action on justice for children, together with several partners, to promote accelerated progress through a greater focus on justice for children.7 14. The Special Representative also participated in a number of high-level events at which she promoted the 2030 Agenda, including at a ministerial conference on access to justice in The Hague; her cross-regional meeting on violence against children in Addis 6 7 4 See Overseas Development Institute, “The costs and economic impact of violence against children” (September 2014). See Office of the Special Representative and others, “Justice for children, justice for all: the challenge to achieve SDG16+” (June 2019).