A/HRC/RES/17/1 Recalling also the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons and Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice resolution 20/3 of 15 April 2011, Affirming that trafficking in persons violates and impairs the enjoyment of human rights, continues to pose a serious challenge to humanity and requires a concerted international assessment and response and genuine multilateral, regional and bilateral cooperation among countries of origin, transit and destination for its eradication, Recognizing that victims of trafficking are particularly exposed to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and that women and girl victims are often subject to multiple forms of discrimination and violence, including on the grounds of gender, age, disability, ethnicity, culture and religion, as well as national or social origin, or other status, and that these forms of discrimination may themselves fuel trafficking in persons, Bearing in mind that all States have an obligation to exercise due diligence to prevent trafficking in persons, to investigate instances of trafficking and punish perpetrators, to rescue victims and to provide for their protection and access to remedies, and that not doing so violates and impairs or nullifies the enjoyment of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of victims, Taking note of the twentieth anniversary of the United Nations Voluntary Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery and the establishment of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, Taking note with interest of the launch of the commentary on the Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking developed by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights,1 Recalling its resolutions 5/1, on institution-building of the Human Rights Council, and 5/2, on a code of conduct for special procedures mandate holders of the Council, of 18 June 2007, and stressing that the mandate holder shall discharge his/her duties in accordance with those resolutions and the annexes thereto, 1. Welcomes the work of the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children; 2. Decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for a period of three years in order to, inter alia: (a) Promote the prevention of trafficking in persons in all its forms and the adoption of measures to uphold and protect the human rights of victims of trafficking in persons; (b) Promote the effective application of relevant international norms and standards and to contribute to their further improvement; (c) Integrate a gender and age perspective throughout the work of his or her mandate through, inter alia, the identification of gender- and age-specific vulnerabilities in relation to the issue of trafficking in persons; (d) Identify and share best practices as well as challenges and obstacles in order to uphold and protect the human rights of victims of trafficking in persons, and to identify protection gaps in this regard; 1 2 E/2002/68/Add.1.