and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (see annex I). These principles outline minimum standards for States in order to ensure the effective documentation of torture.5 The guidelines contained in this manual are not presented as a fixed protocol. Rather, they represent minimum standards based on the principles and should be used taking into account available resources. The manual and principles are the result of three years of analysis, research and drafting, undertaken by more than 75 experts in law, health and human rights, representing 40 organizations or institutions from 15 countries. The conceptualization and preparation of this manual was a collaborative effort between forensic scientists, physicians, psychologists, human-rights monitors and lawyers working in Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Israel, the Netherlands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the occupied Palestinian territories. 5 The Principles on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment are annexed to General Assembly resolution 55/89 of 4 December 2000 and to Commission on Human Rights resolution 2000/43 of 20 April 2000, both adopted without a vote. 2