A/HRC/46/26 notably, cooperate fully with and assist the Special Rapporteur in the performance of his or her tasks, supply all necessary information requested by him or her and fully and expeditiously respond to his or her urgent appeals, and urges those Governments that have not yet responded to communications transmitted to them by the Special Rapporteur to answer without further delay; respond favourably to the Special Rapporteur’s requests to visit their countries, and enter into a constructive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on requested visits to their countries; prevent any sanction, reprisal, intimidation or other prejudice against any person, group or association, including persons deprived of their liberty, for contacting, seeking to contact or having been in contact with the Special Rapporteur; ensure proper follow-up to the Special Rapporteur’s recommendations and conclusions; and adopt a victim-centred and gender-sensitive approach in the fight against torture and ill-treatment. 3. Responsibilities of the United Nations 38. Lastly, the Human Rights Council requests the Secretary-General to ensure, from within the overall budget of the United Nations, that the Special Rapporteur is provided with an adequate and stable level of staffing and the facilities and resources necessary, bearing in mind the strong support expressed by Member States for preventing and combating torture and assisting victims of torture. 39. Like all other special procedures of the Human Rights Council, the mandate of the Special Rapporteur is supported by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) through thematic fact-finding, policy and legal expertise, research and analytical work, and administrative and logistical services. 13 E. State consultation 1. Questionnaire 40. On 12 August 2020, the Special Rapporteur launched a round of State consultations by questionnaire, inviting all States Members of the United Nations: • To outline their current procedures for the processing of official communications and country visit requests transmitted by the Special Rapporteur • To evaluate the effectiveness of their current cooperation with the mandate regarding official communications and country visit requests • To make recommendations and requests with a view to improving their current cooperation and dialogue with the mandate holder 41. The questionnaire was an opportunity for States to share their perspective on the issues raised and, thereby, to contribute to and inform the present report. The initial deadline for the submission of State responses to the questionnaire was set for 15 October 2020; following a written reminder transmitted to all States, the deadline was subsequently extended to 31 October. 42. Of the 195 Governments solicited by the mandate, 31 (16 per cent) provided a response; 164 (84 per cent) did not. 14 Of the 31 Governments that responded to the questionnaire, 20 had received one or more official communications from the Special Rapporteur, while 11 Governments had never received such a communication. Of the 195 Governments solicited, only 20 responses were received from those that had actually received communications from the Special Rapporteur. Furthermore, almost all Governments described their interactions with the Special Rapporteur as “fully cooperative” or otherwise indicated that they were open to constructive dialogue and cooperation. 43. The Special Rapporteur expresses his gratitude to those States that responded to the questionnaire. At the same time, he sincerely regrets that the large majority of States most 13 14 8 Ibid., para. 21. Responses submitted are available at https://ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Torture/SRTorture/Pages/CFI_Effectiveness_of_States.aspx.