WHO Council of Champions – Ending Violence Against Children
Little girl plays with her younger brother in front of their house while their parents are away for work.
The challenge
Every year, half of all girls and boys are victims of violence. Half a decade remains to deliver SDG 16.2 - ending all forms of violence against children.
The violence experienced by a billion children today is the same violence that will undermine the health, prosperity, and stability of our societies tomorrow. Violence erodes every investment that families, communities, and governments make in children, from their education to their mental and physical health. Health, social development and justice services – often the frontline in preventing, detecting and treating violence against children – hold unique potential to drive change.
We know the scale of the challenge, its severity of impact, and what works to address it. What we need now is a transformative shift – of leadership – to ensure ending violence against children is recognized and resourced as a global priority.
The Council of Champions
The Council of Champions is a new, WHO-coordinated, international effort to generate collective political leadership on child protection.
Building from the landmark first Global Ministerial Conference on ending violence against children in late 2024 and looking to the Second – scheduled for November 2026 – an intensified effort is required to maintain momentum, protect hard-won gains and ensure maximum change for children.
The Council of Champions is a cohort of 10 Ministers from Member States who have demonstrated both a proven track record on ending violence against children and the appetite to dedicate political capital to children.
Regionally- and gender-representative, the Council will serve as a powerful, united voice to champion the centrality of health, education and justice systems in ending violence against children - showcasing national leadership, accelerating global momentum and demonstrating the value of cross- regional collaboration in shifting political priority and visibility for this often- neglected agenda.
Council members will collaborate on 2-3 major moments each year to positively profile their personal and governmental leadership.
Objectives
 | Represent first-ever health-led collective of Ministers driving high-level action on SDG 16.2 |
| Elevate role, and recognition, of health, social development and justice sector in preventing violence against children |
| Showcase political leadership and best practice of champion member states |
| Build sustained momentum toward and beyond the Second Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children (Q4 2026) |
| Shift profile and encourage translation of VAC commitments into action through targeted communications, media, and global platforms |
Champions
H. E. Evis Sala
Minister of Health and Social Protection, Albania
H. E. Anna Karapetyan
Deputy Minister of Justice, Armenia
H. E. Alexandre Padilha
Minister of Health, Brazil
Government of Colombia
named Minister TBD
Government of France
named Minister TBD
H. E. Wafa Bani Mustafa
Minister of Social Development, Jordan
H. E. Hilal Bin Ali Al Sabti
Minister of Health, Oman
H. E. Muhammad Ali Pate
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Nigeria
H. E. Teodoro Herbosa
Minister of Health, Philippines
H. E. Elia dos Reis Amaral
Minister of Health, Timor-Leste