A/HRC/40/50 80. In the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), the guidelines for the promotion of positive discipline and the prevention of violence against children are aligned with the 2030 Agenda. 81. In October 2018, the MERCOSUR Permanent Commission, Niñ@Sur, reaffirmed member States’ commitment to ending violence against children, in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 2030 Agenda. Uruguay hosted the second Inter-American Forum on National Child Protection Systems which, through the Montevideo Declaration, recognized children’s protection from all forms of violence as a programmatic principle of national child protection systems in Latin America and the Caribbean. 82. The Forum devoted special attention to the situation of children on the move. It identified the major drivers of migration in the region, including poverty, exclusion, and violence; reaffirmed the role of national child protection systems in safeguarding the rights of migrant children; and called for the best interests of the child to be upheld at all times, and for family separation and child detention to be avoided. 83. In November 2018, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and UNICEF convened a regional dialogue (entitled On the road to equality: 30 years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child) to review progress in realizing the rights of children. That forum brought together high-level representatives of Governments, experts and representatives of civil society organizations from across the region. It included four panels, on the progress and challenges in the provision of social protection, promoting child participation, ensuring access to high-quality early child development services, and addressing violence against children. The panel on violence drew attention to the high rates of child homicide in some countries in the region, the devastating impact of gang violence, and the “normalization” of violence in and around children’s lives. It also identified some of the key drivers of violence against children, including high and sustained levels of poverty and inequality. 84. Over 140 children and young people from across the region working on innovative projects to promote children’s rights also joined the forum to share their experience as agents of change. 85. The young people engaged in discussions on the key challenges they had identified in relation to the four key topic areas of the forum and the action they wanted to see to effect change. Children expressed particular concern at the different manifestations of violence in childhood, which make children feel insecure. 86. They identified education as one of the most potentially transformative processes to prevent violence and bring violence to an end. In their view, the education system in the Americas should empower and enable children to develop the skills needed to face the challenges of today’s world. 87. The Special Representative continued engagement with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), including bilateral meetings with the OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission. The Commission promotes the strengthening of children’s protection from violence as a priority in national development plans and national reviews, within the framework of the 2030 Agenda. The OIC thematic debate on the rights of the child outcome document, adopted in April 2018, called on States to enact legislation guaranteeing the protection of children from exploitation, to establish specific mechanisms to implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and to take action to abolish harmful practices. It highlighted the need for States to exercise due diligence to prohibit, prevent and investigate acts of violence against children, end impunity and provide support to victims. 88. The Special Representative further strengthened her cooperation with the Council of Europe, including in the framework of the Council’s Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2016–2021), which mainstreams children’s freedom from violence. To give this topic distinct attention, a group of experts was established to document good practices and consolidate progress in violence prevention and response, including through the development of an online regional platform for sharing information. Results from this 13