A/HRC/52/30 I. Activities relating to the mandate 1. The Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Alice Jill Edwards, took up her functions on 1 August 2022. Since that time, she has undertaken a broad range of activities relating to the mandate, the most notable of which are described below. 2. On 23 and 24 August, the Special Rapporteur conducted a working visit to Geneva, during which she organized a first consultation with international non-governmental organizations, with the support of the Association for the Prevention of Torture. She also met with representatives of the Permanent Missions of States Members of the United Nations and United Nations agencies. 3. On 9 September, the Special Rapporteur gave the keynote speech at the Australian national symposium on the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, organized by the Australian Human Rights Commission. In her speech, she emphasized the importance of independent oversight mechanisms for the country’s full adherence to its obligations to prevent torture and other illtreatment. 4. On 20 September, the Special Rapporteur participated in an international seminar on standards and practices on prevention against torture during arrest, hearing and custody organized by the National Human Rights Council of Morocco. In her intervention, she called on Moroccan leaders at all levels to help identify problems and to be part of the solution in preventing torture and encouraged community participation in decisions relating to public order. 5. On 14 October, the Special Rapporteur presented her first interim report to the seventy-seventh session of the General Assembly,1 setting out her vision and approach to the mandate. She took the opportunity to meet with a range of stakeholders working on matters relating to the mandate, including the Chairs of the Committee against Torture and the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and held a press briefing. Over the following months, she announced her priorities and set out her approach to the mandate more publicly through the issuance of several short video clips, blogs and podcasts and made a number of radio and television appearances. 6. On 1 November, the Special Rapporteur addressed the annual session of the International Bar Association, held on the theme “Preventing coercive interrogations and forced confessions: the role of the legal profession”, exploring global perspectives on the theme, with a focus on the Principles on Effective Interviewing for Investigations and Information Gathering (the Méndez Principles). 7. On 23 November and 9 December, the Special Rapporteur, with a view to enhancing coordination, engaged in the mutual sharing of priorities and areas of collaboration with the full membership of the Committee against Torture and with the Chair of the Subcommittee. 8. On 29 and 30 November, the Special Rapporteur, in preparation of her thematic report, organized an online consultation with leading experts and practitioners on the duty to investigate crimes of torture in national law and practice. 9. On 5 December, the Special Rapporteur participated in thematic discussions held under the auspices of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice on the implementation of the Kyoto Declaration on Advancing Crime Prevention, Criminal Justice and the Rule of Law: Towards the Achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, speaking on a panel on the theme “Safeguarding victims’ rights and protecting witnesses and reporting persons: improving criminal investigation processes”. 10. On 14 December, the Special Rapporteur participated in a one-day meeting of experts organized by the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights on 1 2 A/77/502. GE.23-03126