Investment in children’s protection and well-being is needed more than ever
2025
Appeal
Violence continues to be a reality for millions of children worldwide. At this time of spiraling crises, violence has reached unprecedented levels, and children’s vulnerability and exposure to violence continue to increase alarmingly across the world. Investing in child protection and well-being is more essential than ever.
The year 2024 marked the fifteenth anniversary of the appointment of the first Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children. It was a year of taking stock and reflecting on all that has been achieved and, above all, on all that remains to be done.
A broad mobilization was achieved, which will continue expanding and consolidating through 2025, supporting the necessary accelerated action in the next 5 years to end all forms of violence against children, as promised in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
One hundred nineteen countries, including 63 ministers, participated in and publicly pledged their commitment at the First Global Ministerial Conference to End Violence Against Children. This initiative was facilitated by Dr. Maalla M’jid, who engaged with more than 50 state-led national preparatory processes. The successful launch of the Pathfinding Global Alliance on Ending Violence against Children at the Global Ministerial Conference, already joined by 41 Member States, is an encouraging development that will continue expanding in the coming months, supporting nationally owned actions and furthering the implementation of other global commitments, such as the Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact.
During 2025, the Special Representative will continue building on the momentum generated by these and many other developments and further the close collaboration with all key global, regional, and national stakeholders. Investing in children’s rights and well-being is more important than ever. Supporting the required sustainability to bring solutions to scale will govern the priority focus of the work of the Office through 2025. The support to the Office through more predictable and multi-year contributions will facilitate a continued expansion and consolidation of the support provided.
Our pillars
2024 Key achievements
The Special Representative strengthened partnerships and mobilization with Member States, the United Nations system, the private sector, civil society, faith-based organizations, academia, children, and survivors. It was a year filled with accomplishments, including numerous calls to action focused on ending violence against children, accelerating progress toward achieving the Global Goals of the 2030 Agenda, and delivering many tangible results.
Strategic results for 2025
In 2025, our mandate’s strategic priorities will focus on advocating for and supporting actions taken by States and other stakeholders to create just, inclusive, and non-discriminatory societies.
The world continues facing an unprecedented child rights crisis, with violence against children on the rise due to a complex multiplicity of crises. We will work towards fostering cooperation and enhancing engagement to ensure that no child is exposed to violence.
The steam of the new momentum for action during the Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, held in Bogota, Colombia, must be optimized further. 119 countries mobilized, each committing to address the root causes of violence against children urgently and innovatively, marking a significant step forward in our collective efforts.
The launch of the Pathfinding Global Alliance to End Violence Against Children, which currently includes 41 member states with additional interest from others, presents a unique and promising opportunity. This initiative is a beacon of hope and fosters optimism in our shared mission.
We can accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals by making sustained investments in children’s rights and well-being at national, regional, and global levels and establishing integrated child protection systems accessible to all children.
Engagement with states will continue through 2025 via country visits and bilateral discussions. This will further the implementation of the Global Alliance’s pillars, focus on investment strategies to end violence against children, and support the acceleration of State action, including implementing pledges and commitments strengthening and expanding the child protection system.
A technical toolkit will be launched to assess the economic costs of violence against children and the returns on investment in violence prevention, which will support states as they move with the implementation of their plans in this regard.
The Office will continue to support sharing practices and experiences among States, facilitating peer-to-peer support on practical action to prevent violence and protect children’s rights and well-being.
Significant opportunities in 2025 include the Social Summit and the Financing for Development initiatives. The Special Representative will continue to build on key relevant areas of the Pact for the Future.
We are aware of the pressing need to make significant progress in key strategic areas, such as poverty, violence in the digital space, deprivation of liberty, trafficking, and the enhanced protection of children in the streets and on the move.
We rely on and support the work of international human rights mechanisms and global and regional accountability processes. Our commitment to the UN system remains strong, especially in implementing the Secretary-General’s Guidance Note on Child Rights Mainstreaming. We will work to better integrate children’s rights and well-being into UN programmatic actions.
The strategic engagement with the vast network of civil society and faith-based organizations will continue to expand.
Meaningful child participation
The mandate remains fundamentally committed to ensuring children’s meaningful and inclusive participation. We engage systematically with children through various channels, creating spaces where they can share their essential views on building a world free from violence. The mandate encourages governments and relevant stakeholders to view children as essential to their safety and well-being in decision-making processes.
The mandate facilitates dialogues with children from diverse backgrounds across all regions. The mandate is accountable to children and regularly produces child-friendly versions of its reports, engaging directly with children to involve them in all processes.
Additionally, the mandate encourages member states to include children in their Voluntary National Review processes and to support and amplify such initiatives. It also aims to collect and promote child-led actions that address violence and other pertinent issues.
Results sought
Contributions received
2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |||
| Member state/ Organization | Contributions received (in USD) | Member state/ Organization | Contributions received (in USD) | Member state/ Organization | Contributions received (in USD) |
| France | 12 months JPO | Iceland | 498,000 | Iceland | 500,000 |
| Iceland | 288,000 | Luxembourg | 30,100 | ||
| Luxembourg | 33,000 | CIFF (Children's Investment Fund Foundation) | 500,000 | ||
| Monaco | 11,000 | ||||
| Poland | 101,800 | ||||
| Portugal | 10,400 | ||||
| Spain | 42,000 | ||||
| UN Pool Funds | 61,500 | ||||
Summary of resource requirements
The funding appeal covers 2025. The total funding required to achieve the intended results is USD 5.4 million, with USD 1.4 million still needed to cover additional budgetary requirements. The Trust Fund’s Program Support Costs are 7%, with 15% of the required funding as annual reserves. Financial requirements are based on estimates as of February 2025. The Trust Fund’s financial reporting is done systematically through the annual report of the mandate and in line with the agreement with the donor.
Type of budget | Funds (in USD) |
| Estimated funding requirements | 5.4 millions |
| Regular budget | 3 millions |
| Extra-budgetary contributions | 1 million |
| Funding Gap | 1.4 million |
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