Establishing Uruguay's NPM
The APT will conduct an advisory mission to Uruguay from 28 June to 1 July 2010, in order to contribute to the ongoing debate on the establishment of the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM). Uruguay ratified the OPCAT on 8 December 2005 and designated its new National Human Rights Institution as NPM. The Institute has not been established yet. In that context, the APT will organise, jointly with the Regional Office for South America of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights a two-day seminar (30 June - 1 July) on NPMs.
Date: | 28 June - 01 July |
Place: | Montevideo, Uruguay |
Purpose: | Uruguay ratified the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture on 8 December 2005, and designated the new National Institute of Human Rights (NIHR) as national preventive mechanism. The NIHR is currently being established and the APT will travel to Uruguay from 28 June to 1st July to:
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Partners: | Co-organising partner: Regional Office for South America of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights |
Activities: |
A two-day seminar on NPMs (30 June-1st July) will gather approximately 60 participants, including representatives from governmental authorities, existing monitoring bodies, parliamentarians, civil society organisations and academics, as well as members of national preventive mechanisms (Costa Rica and Chile) and regional experts (Argentina). The seminar aims at installing the debate in Uruguay in relation to the setting-up of the NPM and will include:
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Expected Outcome: |
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Unique Aspects: | Uruguay is one of the countries that decided to designate a new national human rights institution as NPM (National Human Rights Institute, institution that is not functioning yet). Furthermore, there are several existing bodies that conduct visits to places of detention. Thanks to the discussions in the seminar, national actors and authorities will benefit from the international and regional experiences in relation to NPM functioning. They will be able to determine the most appropriate modalities to set-up the NPM in Uruguay, taking into consideration the existing monitoring bodies. In addition, the seminar responds to the SPT guidelines on on-going development of NPMs, which states that The NPM should be developed by a public, inclusive and transparent process of establishment, including civil society and other actors involved in the prevention of torture; where an existing body is considered for designation as the NPM, the matter should be open for debate, involving civil society. |
Next Steps: |
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Documents: | Programa del Seminario |
Press: | Seminario Internacional sobre los Mecanismos Nacionales de Prevención de la Tortura |
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