A/RES/56/143 8. Urges States parties to comply strictly with their obligations under the Convention, including, in view of the high number of reports not submitted, their obligation to submit reports in accordance with article 19 of the Convention, and invites States parties to incorporate a gender perspective and information concerning children and juveniles when submitting reports to the Committee against Torture; 9. Emphasizes the obligation of States parties under article 10 of the Convention to ensure education and training for personnel who may be involved in the custody, interrogation or treatment of any individual subjected to any form of arrest, detention or imprisonment; 10. Stresses, in this context, that States must not punish personnel referred to in paragraph 9 above for not obeying orders to commit or conceal acts amounting to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; 11. Calls upon all Governments to take appropriate effective legislative, administrative, judicial or other measures to prevent and prohibit the production, trade, export and use of equipment that is specifically designed to inflict torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment; 12. Welcomes the work of the Committee, and takes note of the report of the Committee, 7 submitted in accordance with article 24 of the Convention; 13. Acknowledges the number of reports and communications awaiting consideration by the Committee, and in this regard decides to authorize the Committee to establish a pre-sessional working group composed of four of its members to meet for a five-day session during the week preceding each session of the Committee, and invites the Committee to continue to enhance its methods of work; 14. Calls upon the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in conformity with her mandate established in General Assembly resolution 48/141 of 20 December 1993, to continue to provide, at the request of Governments, advisory services for the preparation of national reports to the Committee and for the prevention of torture, as well as technical assistance in the development, production and distribution of teaching material for these purposes; 15. Urges States parties to take fully into account the conclusions and recommendations made by the Committee after its consideration of their reports; 16. Welcomes the progress made by the open-ended working group of the Commission on Human Rights on a draft optional protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and urges the working group 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; 17. Takes note with appreciation of the interim report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the question of torture, 8 describing the overall trends and developments with regard to his mandate, and encourages the Special Rapporteur to continue to include in his recommendations proposals on the prevention and investigation of torture; _______________ 7 8 Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-sixth Session, Supplement No. 44 (A/56/44). See A/56/156. 3