On 23 October 2014, States parties to the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture will elect thirteen members to the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) for a term of four years.
The APT has prepared an information note on current membership of the SPT and guidance on the elections of candidates in Geneva to submit relevant candidates before 7 August 2014 and to elect the most appropriate candidates to help strengthen the membership of the Subcommittee.
The APT encourages States parties to the OPCAT to engage in a public national selection process of SPT candidates at the domestic level, encouraging national actors, including civil society organisations, National Human Rights Institutions, National Preventive Mechanisms and academic institutions to propose candidates.
Independent, professional and committed experts are crucial to the effective implementation of the OPCAT and the on-going development of the SPT, by contributing to thematic debates and expansion of the SPT’s preventive mandate.
