11th Meeting of States parties and 2026 elections…

The eleventh meeting of the States parties to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) will be convened by the Secretary-General at the United Nations Office at Geneva on Thursday 1st October 2026, 10 AM, Tempus conference room, at Palais des Nations.

The purpose of the meeting is to elect thirteen members of the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT), to replace those whose terms of office will expire on 31 December 2026.

The Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (SPT) is a new kind of treaty body in the United Nations human rights system. It has a preventive mandate focused on a proactive approach to preventing torture and ill treatment.

States that ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) give the SPT the right to visit their places of detention and examine the treatment of people held there.