E/CN.4/2001/66 page 11 14. In October 2000, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the United Nations in New York gave an initial positive reaction to the Special Rapporteur’s joint request with the Chairman-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention sent in June 2000 to visit that country. By letter dated 27 April 2000, the Special Rapporteur inquired whether the Government of the Russian Federation would consider the possibility of inviting him and the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, to undertake a joint visit to that country with respect to the situation in the Republic of Chechnya. By letter dated 11 September 2000, the Government conveyed an invitation to the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, to visit Russia, including the North Caucasus region. By letter dated 27 September 2000, the Special Rapporteurs inquired about the possibility of undertaking a joint mission. The Special Rapporteur followed-up on this issue in a meeting with the First Counsellor of the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations Office at Geneva in a meeting on 30 November. At a meeting with the Political Counsellor of the Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva on 30 November 2000, the Special Rapporteur sought to clarify the nature of the difficulties posed for the Government by his request (first made in 1995) for a fact-finding visit. The Political Counsellor confirmed the continuing applicability of his Government’s February 1999 invitation for a “friendly visit”. The Special Rapporteur indicated his desire to find a solution that would be consistent with his commitment to undertaking a standard visit, with the usual methodology. The Special Rapporteur’s requests to visit India (1993), Indonesia (1993), Egypt (1996), Algeria (1997), Bahrain (1998) and Tunisia (1998) have not resulted in invitations. 15. On 27 March 2000, the Special Rapporteur gave the keynote speech at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting on Human Rights and Inhuman Treatment or Punishment (Vienna). From 10 to 17 April, he participated in the Tenth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (Vienna). On 16 May, he participated in a joint meeting of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for the Victims of Torture and the Committee against Torture. On 1 and 2 June, he participated in the Expert Consultation with the High Commissioner for Human Rights on Special Procedures and the Treaty Bodies, sponsored by the Carter Center and the Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights (Geneva). From 5 to 9 June, he participated in the seventh Meeting of Special Rapporteurs/Representatives, Experts and Chairpersons of Working Groups of the Special Procedures of the Commission on Human Rights and of the Advisory Services Programme. On 22 September, he participated in the day of discussion of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on “State violence against children”. He gave the keynote speech at the annual meeting of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, held in Prague from 3 to 5 November, at the First Swedish NGO Forum on Human Rights, in Stockholm on 14 November. On 1 and 2 December, he participated in a round table with the newly-appointed Special Representative of the Secretary-General on human rights defenders, organized by the International Service for Human Rights. He also gave the keynote speech at the Conference on Protecting and Developing Human Rights on the Island of Ireland, in an International Context, in Dublin on 8 and 9 December organized by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, the United Kingdom Northern Ireland Office, the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland and the human rights commissions and equality agencies of Ireland and Northern Ireland.