The UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) on Monday welcomed the recent ratifications of Bangladesh and Colombia to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT), bringing the total number of States Parties to 96.
The Subcommittee said it looks forward to supporting these two new States Parties in establishing their independent national preventive mechanisms (NPMs), the domestic anti-torture watchdogs that must be designated within one year of ratification.
“A defining feature of OPCAT is the work carried out at national level by NPMs, which continue to visit places of deprivation of liberty, including prisons and other detention facilities, even when the Subcommittee is unable to do so,” said María Luisa Romero, Chair of the Subcommittee.
“Their regular monitoring is vital to the effectiveness of the system as a whole, and we will continue to strengthen our advisory and capacity-building support to help them fulfil this crucial role,” Romero added.
The SPT announced plans to conduct six country visits in 2026, including three that were deferred from this year due to the UN’s ongoing liquidity constraints.
The Subcommittee has confirmed that the postponed missions to Burundi, France, and Mexico will take place next year, alongside newly planned visits to Paraguay, Rwanda, and Sri Lanka.
The Subcommittee stated that its 2026 visit plan will begin with the mission to Mexico in January.
In 2025, the SPT was able to carry out only four visits, namely to Mozambique, New Zealand, Peru, and Serbia, which represent half of its planned programme, due to the UN’s liquidity situation.
The 2026 visit programme was decided during the SPT’s latest session in November in Geneva, where members also reviewed their concluding visits of the year to Mozambique and New Zealand.
“While our resources remain strained, we are committed to fulfilling our visiting mandate, even if at a reduced pace,” said Romero, adding, “Direct engagement with States and independent national monitoring bodies through our field visits and ongoing dialogue is essential to strengthening safeguards and advancing the global prevention of torture.”