A/77/502 I. Introduction 1. The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment was established by the Human Rights Commission in its resolution 1985/33 and extended without interruption by the Human Rights Council, most recently in its resolution 43/20. 2. In July 2022, the Human Rights Council appointed Alice Jill Edwards (Australia) as the Special Rapporteur; she began her tenure on 1 August 2022. The Special Rapporteur gratefully acknowledges the trust that has been placed in her appointment by the Council. 3. The Special Rapporteur is the first woman appointed to the position after 37 years of the mandate. This appointment carries symbolic and substantive significance. Symbolically, the appointment sends a positive signal to women everywhere that they can lead at the highest levels and in areas traditionally dominated by men, such as those covered by the mandate, including diplomacy, the military, security, police and law enforcement, and prison services. Substantively, women and girls make up half of the world’s population and have an equal right to live their lives free from torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The Special Rapporteur has been working for the human rights of women and girls and for a world without discrimination for over 25 years and will bring this expertise and experience to bear on her programme of work. 4. The present report contains the Special Rapporteur’s vision and approach to the mandate, announces the topics for her first thematic reports and provides a summary of the international legal framework pertaining to torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. She will report on her activities to the Human Rights Council at its fifty-second session. 5. The Special Rapporteur wishes to express her deep appreciation and respect for the six previous mandate holders for their noteworthy contributions to the mandate; each of them has strengthened applicable international standards and the global commitment to the absolute prohibition of torture and other forms of ill -treatment or punishment. II. Understanding torture: causes, consequences and context 6. The prohibition of torture is one of the greatest social contracts of humanity. The prohibition underpins who we are as human beings, expressing our shared, universal aspiration to live in societies free of fear, discrimination, intimidation and oppression. The prohibition against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, as found in article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 and many international treaties, is absolute and sacrosanct, yet it is a fragile right, constantly being tested, and at times, torture is tolerated or excused. It is our individual and collective responsibility to preserve it; without it, there is only darkness and despair. 7. Possessing power carries with it great responsibility. The act of torture is the ultimate betrayal of a State’s pact with its citizens to govern in their interests, in respect for their human rights and within constitutionally set limits on government authority. Even a singular incident of torture or inhuman treatme nt can send ripple effects through society and community, instilling fear and suspicion. More broadly, the regular and unaddressed threat or actual use of such violence weakens a country’s own short- and long-term political and economic stability and can spill over to its neighbours, creating fragile neighbourhoods. Long-term wounds from torture – often 22-22673 3/17