Dear friends, colleagues, and partners of the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action:

For the new year, we want to reconnect with you and take stock of what we achieved as a community in 2019 and what we have to look forward to in 2020 and beyond.
 
This past year was filled with many successes and reasons for the Alliance community to celebrate. We launched numerous important and much-anticipated products, including the 2019 Edition of the Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action.

We held a very successful Annual Meeting, where we discussed the critical topic of the Humanitarian-Development Nexus (HDN) and its implications for the child protection sector. We established new partnerships and launched new initiatives. We are thankful for a vibrant and supportive community that has made all this possible in one short year. 
 
This year also marked the much-celebrated 30^th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

Even as we celebrated this anniversary, we were obliged to reflect on the status of children and the fulfillment of their rights. Despite major achievements, the assault on children and their futures continues. The global climate crisis is putting the well-being of the next generation at serious jeopardy. New and continuing conflicts have pushed the prospect of global peace further away from our reach. Child refugees and displaced persons remain excluded from many existing national systems and basic services. Some governments still do not fulfill the basic rights of children as enshrined in the CRC. Protection of children and their rights receive limited attention from policy makers and donors, as evidenced by inadequate political support and funding for the child protection sector. The year 2019 ended with the first Global Refugee Forum where States, experts, and practitioners gathered to discuss the situation of refugees, including the children who represent 52% of the refugee population. 
 
The road ahead is long and rough.
 
In the face of these challenges, what gives us hope is this incredible community of dedicated practitioners, academics, government officials, donors, and independent consultants who do not waste a moment when advancing the cause of child protection and child rights. We look forward to 2020 as both a new year and a new decade wherein we can re-double our efforts to protect children affected by humanitarian crises. The Alliance stands by its promise to act as a supporter, convener, and facilitator of high-quality technical collaboration, knowledge production, technical support and material, and advocacy for child protection and child rights. 
 
Wishing you a happy holiday season and start of a new year,
 
Audrey Bollier and Hani Mansourian
 
On behalf of the Secretariat, Steering Committee, and Working Groups and Task Forces of the Alliance