SRSG and Global Child Forum launch partnership to protect children from violence

Stockholm (Sweden) 11 April 2014 - SRSG Santos Pais and the Global Child Forum signed in Stockholm, Sweden, a strategic partnership agreement to safeguard children's right to freedom from violence

The agreement promotes collaboration with the corporate sector to support the implementation of the Children’s Rights and Business Principles, developed by UNICEF, the UN Global Compact and Save the Children, and advance progress in the follow-up to the recommendations of the UN Study on Violence against Children.

The cooperation agreement foresees the development of an online platform on children’s rights in the digital world to prevent child abuse and other online risks and support children's skills, confidence and safety when accessing information and communication technologies.

As highlighted by SRSG Santos Pais, “Our main goal is to ensure a fine balance between children’s empowerment and their effective protection from harm, while supporting children to access information and learn about ways of preventing and coping with risks." 

The agreement promotes  cooperation with the business sector in the development of advocacy, research and tools to prevent and eliminate violence against children, including through information and communication technologies.

This alliance provides a strategic opportunity to learn, act and influence a wide range of stakeholders to accelerate progress in children's protection from violence.

The agreement also seeks to promote wide partnerships with governments, corporations and civil society in support of the inclusion of children’s protection from violence in the post 2015 global development agenda.

The signing ceremony took place on 11 April at the Global Child Forum, that this year brought together more than 400 leaders from large and small international corporations, financial institutions, UN agencies, NGOs, government representatives, academia, selected experts and journalists. This year’ session was devoted to the theme: “Working Together for Children’s Rights, today and for the future.”

The Global Child Forum is an independent, global multi-stakeholder platform for dialogue and promotion of strategic alliances to advance children’s rights in support of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Global Forum was initiated in 2009 by H.M. the King and H.M. the Queen of Sweden.