CAT/OP/HUN/2 24. Recalling that, under article 18 (3) of the Optional Protocol, States parties have an obligation to make available the necessary resources for the functioning of the national preventive mechanisms, the Subcommittee reiterates that the national preventive mechanism should be provided with sufficient budgetary funding to enable it to carry out all its mandated tasks and should be granted institutional autonomy regarding the use of its resources. The funding should be provided through a separate line in the national annual budget referring specifically to the national preventive mechanism (see CAT/C/57/4 and Corr.1, annex, sect. III) and not through the general budget of the Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights. This funding should be sufficient to allow the mechanism to carry out its programme of visits, engage the services of external experts as and when appropriate, increase its human resources and regularly access training, in accordance with its own workplan. 25. In order to ensure its functional and operational independence, the national preventive mechanism must enter into a constructive dialogue with the relevant domestic authorities designed to ascertain the mechanism’s requirements with regard to the fulfilment of its mandate in accordance with the provisions of the Optional Protocol. 26. The Subcommittee recommends that the national preventive mechanism evaluate its financial needs in order to more effectively fulfil its mandate under the Optional Protocol and that, as a matter of priority, it submit proposals concerning those needs to the domestic authorities. Based on that evaluation, concrete plans for the mechanism’s development and future activities could be prepared and a constructive dialogue with the domestic authorities could be established concerning concrete budget proposals and the allocation of sufficient resources to the mechanism through a separate budget line. 3. Cooperation with the Civic Consultative Body 27. The Subcommittee welcomes the cooperation established between the national preventive mechanism and civil society organizations. Given that the mechanism has only limited resources, it does not have the capacity to cover all of the numerous places of deprivation of liberty located in the State party and to undertake all the other activities provided for under its mandate. Improved communication and coordination between the mechanism and the Civic Consultative Body are essential if the two entities are to work together efficiently. 28. In this connection the Subcommittee urges the mechanism to improve information-sharing through regular meetings and other channels of communication and to adopt clearly defined working methods. It is recommended that the mechanism and the Civic Consultative Body jointly establish a clear framework for cooperation and mutual support. 29. The Subcommittee recommends that the national preventive mechanism engage more directly and independently with civil society organizations, including, at a minimum, through their increased participation in mechanism visits, internal training, outreach activities, report-writing and dialogue with the domestic authorities. 30. The Subcommittee recommends that the national preventive mechanism follow up the concrete proposals put forward during the mechanism’s meeting with the Civic Consultative Body on 22 March 2017. Those proposals include: involving civil society experts in detention-related activities; creating a database of experts and including experts in monitoring teams based on their experience; increasing the number of visits to 25; involving the Civic Consultative Body in the process of selecting facilities for visits (one third to be selected by the Civic Consultative Body); discussing the mechanism’s report with the Body at least two weeks prior to its publication; following up the mechanism’s recommendations in cooperation with the Body; consulting with the Body about the types of facilities to be visited and the methodology to be employed; and adopting terms of reference concerning cooperation with the Body, including regarding the chairing and the venue of its meetings with the Body. 6