● General guidelines 28 January 2013 Alternative reporting to the Committee against Torture All States Parties to the UN Convention against Torture (UNCAT) must submit regular reports to the Committee against Torture (CAT). When a State Party is reviewed by the CAT, the State must describe how it has implemented the obligations of the Convention and the Committee will make recommendations for further necessary reforms to enable better implementation. Alternative (or shadow) reporting is a means by which NGOs can make written submissions to participate in the review process of their country by the CAT and thus facilitate the enforcement of treaty obligations. The purpose of the alternative report is not to replace the report of the State, but to act as an analytical supplement during the reporting process. 1. How can NGOs participate? The Committee provides NGOs with specific opportunities to participate in the reporting cycle (Article 19 UNCAT), both in the standard and optional reporting procedure. States Parties are required to submit an initial report one year after ratification and periodic reports every four years thereafter, each demonstrating how the State has implemented the provisions of the UNCAT into their domestic law and practice. The reporting cycle commences from the time of ratification and NGOs can participate from this point forward. Standard reporting procedure In the standard procedure, after submission of the State report, the CAT will adopt a List of Issues (LOIs) to send to the State Party which will respond with written submissions to be discussed during the dialogue in the CAT session. The CAT will then adopt concluding observations and recommendations, some of which will be followed up with the State Party within a year. 1

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