A/HRC/4/106 page 16 of an NGO Committee on Human Rights, in view not only of the importance of this theme, but also owing to the fact that Vienna hosts a number of regional and international organizations either devoted to human rights issues (such as the European Union Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia) or with human rights as a strong component of their mission statement, such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). 70. As part of its media outreach, UNIS Vienna organized a press briefing with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the question of torture and hosted an annual Journalists’ Forum, focusing on human rights. UNIS Vienna successfully placed a number of human rights-related op-ed pieces in various newspapers in the countries it covers, including: op-eds by the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Secretary-General on the new Human Rights Council (five placements); the High Commissioner’s op-ed on violence against children (three placements); the High Commissioner’s op-ed on Human Rights Day 2006 (four placements); and an op-ed by the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, on the twelfth anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda (one placement). 71. UNIS Vienna’s community outreach efforts included support for an Austrian school project on human rights education organized by various human rights NGOs in July 2005; the provision of extensive information on human rights to an NGO newly associated with the Department for a training workshop entitled “Encouraging partnerships and promoting human rights” in 2005; and the distribution of the latest information material and press releases on human rights and related issues to a specialized NGO mailing list throughout the period 2005-2006. 72. As a priority theme, human rights are included in the speaking engagements and briefings on the United Nations in all its client countries. Taking advantage of the fact that the Finnish Presidency of the European Union adopted human rights as a priority focus in July-December 2006, UNIS Vienna organized a number of round tables relating to human rights in the countries it covers. The exhibit on human rights is an integral part of the guided tours conducted by the Visitors Service of UNIS Vienna and visitors receive an information flyer that contains information on human rights. A total of 47,303 visitors took guided tours through the Vienna International Centre in 2005 and 49,305 visitors in 2006. C. Activities of the United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe 73. The United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe (UNRIC), based in Brussels, actively promoted human rights both before and after the establishment of the Human Rights Council in most of the 22 Western European countries that it covers. 74. UNRIC forged strong partnerships with the entities responsible for human rights in the three European institutions: the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council. It worked closely with the Special Representative of the European Council for Human Rights, with whom it held a number of joint events, such as press conferences and briefings for NGOs.