A/RES/53/139 Page 3 reports not submitted, and invites States parties to incorporate a gender perspective when submitting reports to the Committee; 7. Commends the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for the support given to States in the preparation of national reports for submission to the Committee; 8. Urges States parties to take fully into account the conclusions and recommendations made by the Committee after its consideration of their reports; 9. Takes note of the efforts made by the inter-sessional open-ended working group of the Commission on Human Rights on the elaboration of a draft optional protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which is intended to establish a preventive system of regular visits to places of detention, and urges the Commission to complete as soon as possible a final text for submission to the General Assembly, through the Economic and Social Council, for consideration and adoption; 10. Takes note with appreciation of the interim report presented orally by the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the question of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, describing the overall trends and developments with regard to his mandate; 11. Calls upon all Governments to cooperate with and to assist the Special Rapporteur in the performance of his task, in particular by supplying all necessary information requested by him, to react appropriately and expeditiously to his urgent appeals and to give serious consideration to his requests to visit their countries and to the follow-up to his recommendations; 12. Approves the methods of work employed by the Special Rapporteur, in particular as regards urgent appeals, reiterates his need to be able to respond effectively to credible and reliable information that comes before him, invites him to continue to seek the views and comments of all concerned, in particular Member States, in the elaboration of his report, and expresses its appreciation for the discreet and independent way in which he continues to carry out his work; 13. Stresses the need for regular exchanges of views between the Committee, the Special Rapporteur and other relevant United Nations mechanisms and bodies, as well as for the pursuance of cooperation with relevant United Nations programmes, notably the programme on crime prevention and criminal justice, with a view to enhancing further their effectiveness and cooperation on issues relating to torture, inter alia, by improving their coordination; 14. Expresses its gratitude and appreciation to the Governments, organizations and individuals that have already contributed to the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture; 15. Appeals to all Governments, organizations and individuals to respond favourably to requests for contributions to the Fund, if possible on a regular basis and annually before the meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Fund, preferably by the end of February, and if possible also with a substantial increase in the level of contributions, so that consideration may be given to the increasing demand for assistance; 16. Requests the Secretary-General to transmit to all Governments the appeals of the General Assembly for contributions to the Fund; /...