A/RES/53/139 Page 4 17. Also requests the Secretary-General to continue to include the Fund on an annual basis among the programmes for which funds are pledged at the United Nations Pledging Conference for Development Activities; 18. Expresses its appreciation to the Board of Trustees of the Fund for the work it has accomplished; 19. Requests the Secretary-General to assist the Board of Trustees of the Fund in its appeal for contributions and its efforts to make better known the existence of the Fund and the financial means currently available to it, as well as in its assessment of the global need for international funding of rehabilitation services for torture victims and, in this effort, to make use of all existing possibilities, including the preparation, production and dissemination of information materials; 20. Also requests the Secretary-General to ensure the provision of adequate staff and facilities for the bodies and mechanisms that combat torture and assist victims of torture, commensurate with the strong support expressed by Member States for combating torture and assisting victims of torture; 21. Invites donor and recipient countries to consider including in their bilateral programmes and projects relating to the training of armed forces, security forces, prison and police personnel, as well as health-care personnel, matters relating to the protection of human rights and the prevention of torture and to keep in mind a gender perspective; 22. Calls upon all Governments, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and other United Nations bodies and agencies, as well as relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, to commemorate, on 26 June, United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture; 23. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the Commission on Human Rights at its fifty-fifth session and to the General Assembly at its fifty-fourth session a report on the status of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and a report on the operations of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture; 24. Decides to consider the reports of the Secretary-General, including the report on the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture, the report of the Committee against Torture and the interim report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the question of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment at its fifty-fourth session. 85th plenary meeting 9 December 1998