A/HRC/RES/16/23 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, acts of torture can constitute crimes against humanity and, when committed in a situation of armed conflict, constitute war crimes, Welcoming the entry into force of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, the implementation of which will make a significant contribution to the prevention and prohibition of torture, including by prohibiting places of secret detention and encouraging all States that have not ratified or acceded to the Convention to consider doing so, Commending the persistent efforts of civil society, in particular non-governmental organizations, national human rights institutions and national preventive mechanisms, and the considerable network of centres for the rehabilitation of torture victims to prevent and combat torture and to alleviate the suffering of victims of torture, Recalling Human Rights Council resolutions 5/1, on institution-building of the Council, and 5/2, on the code of conduct for special procedures mandate holders of the Council, of 18 June 2007, and stressing that the mandate holder shall discharge his or her duties in accordance with those resolutions and the annexes thereto, Recalling also all relevant resolutions of the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, the Human Rights Council and the Commission on Human Rights on the subject, 1. Condemns all forms of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including through intimidation, which are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever and can thus never be justified, and calls upon all States to implement fully the absolute and non-derogable prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; 2. Condemns in particular any action or attempt by States or public officials to legalize, authorize or acquiesce to torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment under any circumstances, including on grounds of national security or through judicial decisions, and urges States to ensure accountability for all such acts; 3. Decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment for a further period of three years: (a) To seek, receive, examine and act on information from Governments, intergovernmental and civil society organizations, individuals and groups of individuals regarding issues and alleged cases concerning torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; (b) To conduct country visits with the consent or at the invitation of Governments; (c) To study, in a comprehensive manner, trends, developments and challenges in relation to combating and preventing torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and to make recommendations and observations concerning appropriate measures to prevent and eradicate such practices; (d) To identify, exchange and promote best practices on measures to prevent, punish and eradicate torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; (e) To integrate a gender perspective throughout the work of his or her mandate; (f) To continue to cooperate with the Committee against Torture, the Subcommittee for the Prevention of Torture and relevant United Nations mechanisms and bodies and, as appropriate, regional organizations and mechanisms, national human rights 2