1.4.FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR THE NPM’S ACTIVITIES The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (hereinafter the “CPT”), in its report on the visit to Georgia carried out on 10-21 September 2018, recommended8 to the Public Defender to separate the NPM’s budget from the overall budget of the Public Defender’s Office. It is noteworthy that, since 2019, the NPM’s budget has been separated from the overall budget. Therefore, the above recommendation has been fulfilled. 1.5.ELECTION OF THE HEAD OF THE NPM (DEPARTMENT) AS A MEMBER OF THE UNITED NATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON PREVENTION OF TORTURE AND OTHER CRUEL, INHUMAN OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT (SPT) On 25 October 2018, Nika Kvaratskhelia, the Head of the National Prevention Mechanism (Department) of the Office of the Public Defender of Georgia, was elected as a member of the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (hereinafter the “SPT”) for 2019-2022. Nika Kvaratskhelia, the candidate from Georgia, has been working for the Office of the Public Defender of Georgia since 2013. He has been participating actively in global campaigns against torture and contributing to raising awareness about the Optional Protocol of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, (hereinafter the “OPCAT”). It is worth mentioning that, for the first time in Georgia’s history, a candidate from Georgia was selected as a member of the SPT. The Georgian candidate won with 55 votes at the 7th meeting of the States Parties to the OPCAT held in Geneva. Candidates from 20 countries were nominated to the 13 vacant positions in the SPT. The SPT conducts regular independent international visits to the places of deprivation of liberty under the jurisdiction of the States Parties to the OPCAT in order to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and, with a view of implementing the OPCAT, it supports establishing national preventive mechanisms and their activities. The SPT started functioning in 2007; it is composed of 25 independent experts and is one of the largest treaty-based bodies within the system of the United Nations. 1.6.COMMUNICATION WITH STAKEHOLDERS It is impossible to study the situation and develop recommendations, advocate their fulfilment and monitor their implementation without dialogue with civil society, international organisations, competent public authorities and other stakeholders. Therefore, the NPM pays much attention to communication with the stakeholders. In this regard, numerous significant activities were carried out in 2018. 8 Report to the Georgian Government on the visit to Georgia carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) from 10 to 21 September 2018, (CPT/Inf (2019) 16), para. 12, available in English at: https://rm.coe.int/1680945eca (accessed 12.06.19). 7