Geneva, 28 April 2026 |
CTI has convened a high-level dinner with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, H.E. Mr Volker Türk. Hosted by H.E. Ambassador Omar Zniber, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Morocco in Geneva, the dinner brought together key partners for a focused exchange on advancing international cooperation to address torture and other ill-treatment.
CTI and its Core State Ambassadors and their representatives joined officials from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT). Discussions centred on shared priorities, current challenges and opportunities in progressing towards universal ratification and stronger implementation of the United Nations Convention against Torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment (UNCAT).
Participants pointed to tangible progress, highlighting Saint Lucia’s recent accession to the Convention – bringing the total number of State parties to UNCAT to 176. The discussion also emphasised the need to translate commitments into concrete progress, and touched upon how emerging technologies are reshaping both risks and opportunities in addressing torture and other ill-treatment. Regional perspectives from the Caribbean, Africa, the Pacific and Asia underscored both the benefits of constructive, peer-to-peer engagement and the need for continued technical support for States.
H.E. Mr Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, highlighted the value of CTI’s collaborative approach and, in particular, “cross-regional partnerships, strong partnerships, having a normative system behind, making sure that all actors are involved, civil society, the institutional side, and of course, very important: States, the peer support”.
CTI welcomes the High Commissioner’s commitment to deepening collaboration towards the shared goals of achieving universal ratification and ensuring the Convention is effectively implemented worldwide. The Initiative remains committed to working with States, OHCHR and partners such as APT, towards this end.