E/CN.4/2001/66 page 3 As his current mandate approaches its end, the Special Rapporteur briefly takes stock of the situation in respect of the problem of torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment in his conclusions and recommendations. The General Assembly in its resolution 54/156, paragraph 29, and the Commission in its resolution 2000/43, paragraph 33, requested the Special Rapporteur to present an interim report to the fifty-fifth session of the General Assembly on overall trends and developments with regard to his mandate. In October 2000, he accordingly submitted a report (A/55/290) to the Third Committee of the General Assembly under agenda item 116 (a). In that report, the Special Rapporteur addressed the following issues: gender-specific forms of torture; torture and children; torture and human rights defenders; reparation for victims of torture; and torture and poverty.

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