CAT/C/60/3 liaises on visit follow-up and on the work of national preventive mechanisms in an evergreater number of States parties each year. As a result, the workload pressure within each session has become unsustainable. Thus, at its twenty-eighth session, the Subcommittee decided to request the Secretary-General to include, as appropriate, in his 2016 report on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 68/268, a reference to the need for the Subcommittee to have, initially, a minimum of one additional week of meetings per year and the necessary support staff and resources (CAT/OP/28/1). V. Reflections on the year under review A. Tenth anniversary of the Optional Protocol 53. As noted above, the tenth anniversary of the Optional Protocol system was marked by a conference held in Geneva on 17 November 2016, during the thirtieth session of the Subcommittee. To open the event, the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva presented a message from the Secretary-General, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights made an opening statement; the Vice-President of the International Committee of the Red Cross followed with a statement. The panels were composed of representatives of various stakeholders, including States parties (Senegal and Tunisia), national preventive mechanisms (Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Norway), NGOs (Association for the Prevention of Torture), regional organizations (European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment) and other United Nations mechanisms and mandate holders (Committee against Torture, Special Rapporteur on Torture, United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture). The conference was attended by approximately 150 participants, including representatives of 52 States Members of the United Nations, 11 national preventive mechanisms and 16 NGOs. The Subcommittee is grateful to all participants. It is also thankful to the organizers of the many national events, initiated mainly by national preventive mechanisms, held to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Optional Protocol throughout the world. More information about the programme of and presentations at the conference is available on the website of the Subcommittee.2 54. The conference was composed of two panel discussions. During the first, high-level international experts made presentations on the past 10 years of the implementation of the Optional Protocol and how it has prevented torture, identifying its added value and lessons learned. The second focused on the cooperative triangular relationship between States parties, national preventive mechanisms and the Subcommittee and the significance of that relationship in the prevention of torture, as well as on achievements, best practices, challenges facing the Optional Protocol system and potential ways forward. 55. The significance of the partnership approach was underlined by the many tenth anniversary celebrations held around the world by States parties, national preventive mechanisms and others. The Subcommittee was not only heartened to receive information concerning these events, but also hopes they will form the basis for similar events in the future, in order to raise awareness of the Optional Protocol and to provide a practical opportunity to consider the functioning of the Optional Protocol system of prevention in the countries concerned. That would become an important and lasting legacy of the anniversary year. B. Concerns about cooperation 56. Despite the milestones achieved in its work, the Subcommittee has observed a trend in which some States parties question the scope of the Subcommittee mandate. As highlighted in the statement the Subcommittee Chair made to the General Assembly at its seventy-first session, in October 2016, once the Subcommittee has decided upon its visiting programme, States are not in a position to suggest that a visit be cancelled or postponed. 2 10 See www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/OPCAT/Pages/OPCAT10.aspx.