A/62/221 15. On 26 June 2007, on the occasion of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the Special Rapporteur, together with the Committee against Torture, the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, issued a joint statement which, inter alia, drew attention to the links between torture and the death penalty and encouraged States that continued to apply the death penalty to consider a moratorium on its use, and expressed gratitude to all donors to the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture and called on all States, in particular those that had been found to be responsible for widespread or systematic practices of torture, to contribute to the Voluntary Fund as part of a universal commitment for the rehabilitation of torture victims. 16. Press releases were also issued in connection with the country visits that took place in the reporting period and with the Darfur process. Highlights of key presentations/consultations/training 17. On 11 January 2007, the Special Rapporteur gave a lecture on the subject “Contemporary problems relating to the prohibition of torture — experiences of the Special Rapporteur on torture” at the Johann Wolfgang von Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany. 18. On 20 March 2007, he met with the Minister of Justice of Austria, Maria Berger, to discuss provisions relating to torture in the Austrian Criminal Code. 19. On 26 and 27 March 2007, he presented his report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva and participated in the interactive dialogue held during the fourth session. 20. On 21 May 2007, he met with the President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, at the InterAction Council of Former Heads of State and Government in Vienna to discuss follow-up to his visit to Nigeria in March 2007. 21. On 23 May 2007, he chaired a discussion that followed a lecture given by the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Thomas Hammarberg, entitled “Human rights in Europe: mission unaccomplished”. 22. On 25 May 2007, he gave a lecture on torture at the University of Pretoria in South Africa for students participating in the African Master’s Programme in human rights and democratization. 23. From 29 May to 6 June 2007, while in Washington, D.C., the Special Rapporteur met with several representatives of civil society, including Penal Reform International, Human Rights First and Human Rights Watch. On 6 June, he participated in a workshop on the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. 24. On 21 June 2007, the Special Rapporteur gave a presentation entitled “Economic and social root cause of torture” at a training course organized by the World Organization against Torture in Geneva. Torture in the context of counter-terrorism measures 25. On 27 March 2007, the Special Rapporteur participated at an NGO panel in Geneva entitled “Against terrorism — for human rights”. 6 07-45686