Today, the international community marks the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. This day, the 26^th of June, is also the moment in 1987 when the UN Convention against Torture (UNCAT) came into effect, an international treaty, that has been ratified by 171 States around the globe and which codifies the range of principles underpinning the absolute prohibition against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The Convention provides detailed guidance for States on how to eradicate acts of torture and provide redress and rehabilitation to victims and survivors of torture and their families.

In commemoration of this day, we, as the six Core States of the Convention against Torture Initiative (CTI), call on all UN Member States to step up their efforts to fight this particularly blatant rights violation and to work towards strengthening domestic institutions, policies and practices against torture and other forms of ill-treatment.

In 2021, we underscore the crucial role that civil society as a whole, non-governmental organisations, national human rights institutions and human rights defenders from across the globe play in this important combat. They are spearheading efforts on a daily basis, often under very difficult circumstances. Today, we are united in our support for the hundreds of thousands of people around the world who have been victims of torture and those who are still being tortured.

With their expertise and knowledge, civil society groups and other non-governmental actors are supporting our collective resolve to eradicate the practice of torture and repair the deep harms it inflicts. In particular their participation in raising the alarm on incidents or patterns of such violence, monitoring places of detention, reviewing draft laws and policies, and providing rehabilitation services for survivors are among their most valued contributions to this challenge.

Further, we commend all States that have implemented practices of good cooperation with civil society actors and national human rights institutions or equivalent bodies in the field of torture prevention and we encourage others to follow those examples and take advantage of the support offered by them. Working together will make anti-torture efforts more informed, effective and sustainable and bring us closer to the full eradication of torture worldwide.

Joint Statement of the Governments of Chile, Denmark, Fiji, Ghana, Indonesia and Morocco as part of the Convention against Torture Initiative

For more information on the CTI, please consult https://cti2024.org/ or contact the CTI Secretariat at info@cti2024.org, or the Permanent Missions of any of the CTI Core States in Geneva or New York.