A/54/426 fair and adequate compensation, including the means for as full a rehabilitation as possible. 50. In this regard, the Special Rapporteur calls upon all States to support to the maximum extent possible the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture. Further, all States should support and assist rehabilitation centres that may exist in their territory to ensure that victims of torture are provided the means for as full a rehabilitation as possible. I. Ratification of or accession to the Convention against Torture 51. There are currently 117 States parties to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. In its annual resolutions on the question of torture, the Commission on Human Rights has continuously called upon all States to become parties to the Convention. Further, it has invited all States ratifying or acceding to the Convention and those States parties that have not yet done so to make the declaration provided for in articles 21 and 22 of the Convention and to avoid making, or consider the possibility of withdrawing, reservations to article 20 (see, for example, resolution 1999/32). 52. The Special Rapporteur joins in this call, noting that ratification of or accession to the Convention demonstrates a State’s commitment to eradicating the practice of torture. J. Manual on the effective investigation of torture 53. During 1999, the Special Rapporteur participated in two meetings concerning the preparation of a manual on effective investigation and documentation of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, the first held in Istanbul, Turkey, from 11 to 13 March 1999 and the second held in Geneva at the Palais Wilson on 9 September 1999. The manual, inspired by the Manual on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions6 is intended to serve as international guidelines for the assessment of persons who allege torture and ill-treatment, for investigating cases of alleged torture, and for reporting such findings to the judiciary and other investigative bodies. While the manual was developed to enable States to address the problem of effective documentation, it is also intended to apply to other contexts including human rights investigations and monitoring by intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, evaluations of applications for political asylum, the defence of individuals who “confess” to crimes during torture, and needs assessments for the care of torture victims. The conceptualization and preparation of the manual was a collaborative effort between forensic doctors, physicians, psychologists, human rights monitors and lawyers representing 41 organizations or institutions from 15 countries. 54. The manual will include principles on the effective documentation of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, which would outline minimum standards for States to ensure the effective documentation of torture. The principles have been modelled on the relevant paragraphs of the Principles on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions (Economic and Social Council resolution 1989/65, annex). These principles have been annexed to the present report. 55. The Special Rapporteur is of the view that the manual will be an important tool for States in carrying out investigations concerning allegations of torture or illtreatment. Noting that the General Assembly has endorsed the Principles on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions (resolution 44/162), the Special Rapporteur would recommend that consideration be given similarly to endorsing the Principles on the effective documentation of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. K. International Criminal Court 56. The adoption of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (A/CONF.183/9) on 17 July 1998 represents a landmark in international criminal law, including the development of international legal norms prohibiting torture. Article 7 (1) (f) of the Rome Statute lists “torture” among the crimes against humanity. Article 7 (2) (e) of the Statute defines “torture” as: “the intentional infliction of severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, upon a person in the custody or under the control of the accused; except that torture shall not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to, lawful sanctions.” 11