Publication

This paper sets out recommendations and practical advice on how to make the most out of a National Preventive Mechanisms (NPM) annual report. The annual report represents an important communication tool and is recognized as such by the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT), which provides for the obligations for States Parties to “publish and disseminate the annual reports of the national preventive mechanisms” (Article 23). This obligation is formulated as an obligation of the State Party rather than as an obligation of the NPM itself. However, the OPCAT text is silent in relation to the objectives, content and structure of the NPM annual reports.