A/RES/56/144 the rights protected by the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; 24. Welcomes Economic and Social Council decision 2001/220 of 4 June 2001, in which the Council authorized the appointment by the Commission on Human Rights of an independent expert to examine the question of a draft optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and invites the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to consider contributing to the work of the independent expert; 25. Encourages the Secretary-General to continue to assist States parties to the International Covenants on Human Rights in the preparation of their reports, including by convening seminars or workshops at the national level for the training of government officials engaged in the preparation of such reports and by exploring other possibilities available under the programme of advisory services in the field of human rights; 26. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights effectively assists the Human Rights Committee and the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the implementation of their respective mandates by providing, inter alia, adequate Secretariat staff resources and conference and other relevant support services; 27. Decides to endorse the request by the Human Rights Committee to hold an additional week of meetings at Geneva in 2002 in order to reduce further the existing backlog; 28. Welcomes the initiative of the Secretary-General, taking into account the suggestions of the Human Rights Committee, to take determined steps, in particular through the Department of Public Information of the Secretariat, to give more publicity to the work of that Committee and, similarly, to the work of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; 29. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its fifty-eighth session, under the item entitled “Human rights questions”, a report on the status of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Optional Protocols to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, including all reservations and declarations. 88th plenary meeting 19 December 2001 5