The Convention against Torture Initiative launched today its new blog series “States parties in focus”, with its first blog on Fiji.

CTI is pleased to launch a new series of blogs focusing on the newest States parties to the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT) and/or its Optional Protocol (OPCAT).

In the spirit of the CTI, this new series aims to inspire other States that are considering ratifying the Convention and/or the Protocol. Through “States parties in focus”, the CTI seeks to shed light on positive examples of ratification and allow new States parties to share their national experience of the process of ratification and their plans for implementation.

In particular, each blog draws on the main factors that fostered the political will to ratify, and reflects on the positive effects of ratification and implementation. The first blog series is dedicated to Fiji, which ratified UNCAT in March 2016. It highlights in particular the role played by the country’s domestic legal framework, the concrete measures that have already been adopted, the opportunities for reform and reflection already generated by ratification, and offers Fiji’s support to other UNCAT ratification processes in the Pacific region.

Read Fiji in focus here.