The United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) has confirmed plans to conduct six country visits in 2026, including postponed missions to Burundi and newly scheduled visits to Rwanda.
The missions to Burundi, France, and Mexico were deferred from 2025 due to UN liquidity constraints.
Next year, they will take place alongside newly planned visits to Paraguay, Rwanda, and Sri Lanka. The 2026 programme will begin with a mission to Mexico in January.
Last year, the SPT managed only four of its planned eight country visits, conducting missions to Mozambique, New Zealand, Peru, and Serbia.
María Luisa Romero, Chair of the Subcommittee, emphasised the importance of direct engagement with States and independent national monitoring bodies.
“Direct engagement through field visits and ongoing dialogue is essential to strengthening safeguards and advancing the global prevention of torture,” she said.
The Subcommittee also 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.
OPCAT requires ratifying countries to establish independent national preventive mechanisms (NPMs) within one year.
These domestic watchdogs regularly monitor prisons, police stations, psychiatric hospitals, immigration detention centres, and other facilities where people are deprived of liberty.
Romero highlighted that the work of NPMs remains critical, especially when the Subcommittee cannot carry out unannounced visits itself.
“Their regular monitoring is vital to the effectiveness of the system, and we will continue to provide advisory and capacity-building support to help them fulfil this crucial role,” she said.
During its November session in Geneva, the SPT also adopted visit reports on Peru and Greece, which will soon be shared with the respective governments along with a recommendation for public disclosure.
The Subcommittee met with the Committee against Torture to discuss prevention policies and prepared for upcoming webinars on drug policy with NPMs.
It also intends to advance work on social reintegration, following a recent OHCHR report.
Through OPCAT, the SPT monitors conditions for people deprived of liberty and works with NPMs, governments, and civil society organisations to strengthen preventive measures against torture and ill-treatment.