On May 24, 2011 within the framework of the Ukrainian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe the international conference “Combating violence against children: from isolated actions to integrated strategies” started in Kyiv.

Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Kostyantyn Gryshchenko in his opening speech noted that the protection of the rights of children is one of the priorities of the Ukrainian Chairmanship as far as this sphere of activities of the Council of Europe needs special attention in view of urgent character of the problems it faces.

Everything concerning human rights, the rights of minorities, cultural and educational development and other issues accumulates in this organization, K.Gryshchenko noted.

According to the Foreign Minister, Ukraine considers this event as an opportunity for the development of a new strategy of the Council of Europe on the protection of the rights of children, instead of the strategy expiring this year. “Today’s conference was organized in the context of this strategy, which created a positive dynamics”, the Chairman stressed.

The Ukrainian Chairmanship’s main task is to unite efforts of the Council of Europe bodies and member-countries with a view of drafting the new strategy for 2012-2015. The new document would aim at advancing the continent as a whole and each country in particularly to get more efficiently and systematically engaged in the protection of children’s rights. It means the adoption of the relevant internal laws, the development of mechanisms of their implementation and control, the Minister underlined.

The purpose of the conference, which is underway in Kyiv on May 24 and 25, is the exchange of effective European practices on the introduction of integrated national strategies, aimed at the protection of the rights of children and rooting out violence against children.

Discussions will focus on preventing violence through the development of support services and improving national child care standards and policies; addressing violence through cross-sectoral coordination and cooperation at regional and local level etc.

The conference is attended by honorary guests, high ranking officials from international organizations - Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General on Violence against Children Marta Santos Pais, Regional Director of UNICEF Steven Allen, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine, Ambassador Jose Manuel Pinto Teixeira, First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Andriy Klyuyev, Govt members and Human Rights Commissioner of Ukraine Nina Karpachova.