Today, the Convention against Torture Initiative (CTI) and the Association for the Prevention of Torture release the report of the Asia-Pacific regional seminar on “Sharing experiences and building State capacity in South East Asia and the wider Asia-Pacific region: Strengthening institutional and legislative frameworks for effective law enforcement”, held in Bali, Indonesia, from 26-28 November 2019, and hosted by the Government of Indonesia. The report contains many State good practices, experiences and recommendations around strengthening anti-torture and policing legislation and regulations, applying legal and practical safeguards and non-coercive investigative interviewing, and building strong complementary institutions for an effective administration of justice.

Some of the main recommendations contained in the report include:

• Pursuing opportunities in regional fora to raise awareness and share experiences of ratification and implementation of the UN Convention against Torture;
• Conducting regional technical workshops on anti-torture legislation, as well as training and international cooperation to foster cross-regional and inter-regional exchange of experiences on the implementation of investigative interviewing;
• Sensitization courses on the risk of torture and ill-treatment in the first hours of police custody and practical knowledge on the implementation of legal and procedural safeguards to be included in police training and curriculum;
• Using technology and digital platforms to professionalise the capacity of police and law enforcement; and
• Providing technical support and capacity-building for OPCAT States parties in establishing National Preventive Mechanisms (NPMs) through cooperation with international organisations and national and international non-governmental actors.

The event brought together nearly 70 participants, which included representation from 18 countries from the Asia-Pacific regions and beyond, alongside UN officials and subject-matter experts.

For governments interested in learning more about CTI’s work and how can CTI support their efforts towards ratification and/or implementation of UNCAT, please contact info@cti2024.org.

The report is available here.