It is not surprising, therefore, that the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment was reported as the primary interlocutor by field operations in South-Eastern and Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus. Field operations in South-Eastern Europe could not recall being visited by or having contact with the UN Committee against Torture or the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture in recent years. In the South Caucasus, only one field operation, in Georgia, reported having had contact with the UN Special Rapporteur, as a result of a visit the operation facilitated to a conflict zone and briefings it provided. Other field operations in the region reported having provided verbal comments to the European Committee in connection with visits to the respective countries. In Eastern Europe, two countries that host OSCE field operations, Moldova and Ukraine, are members of the Council of Europe, and are thus in contact with the European Committee. The third, Belarus, is not a member of the Council of Europe and, therefore, is not party to the European Convention or subject to visits by the European Committee. 2.3 Summary of field operation activities in torture prevention One of the aims of the questionnaire sent to OSCE field operations was to consider existing activities and the most effective role for the OSCE in torture prevention. This section will provide an overview of the types of activities, followed by a more detailed analysis organized by region for ease of comparison. The questionnaire sought to establish how field operations staff saw their role in torture prevention in various contexts and, in particular, what added value the OSCE could provide. Training was clearly regarded as a priority by many field operations, with the target groups being the judiciary, prosecutors, defence lawyers, police, prison staff, doctors and health care workers. Training sometimes focused specifically on the application of international law at the national level, such as the need for judges to be informed about relevant jurisprudence under the ECHR. Defence lawyers were also seen as useful – though sometimes overlooked – targets for training, particularly in view of their potential access to persons at early stages of their arrest, when ill-treatment and torture are often observed as prevalent. Respondents suggested that this training could also incorporate the provision of information on how to submit individual complaints to quasi-legal bodies, such as the UN Committee against Torture, where applicable. Another focus of OSCE activity is the promotion of, or direct involvement in, the monitoring of detention centres and support for bodies at the national level that have this role, such as national human rights institutions. This often involves the facilitation of this work by NGOs rather than direct activities by the field operations. In this context, monitoring and promoting ratification and implementation of OPCAT has been a focus of OSCE attention in all mission areas. 14