MONITORING PLACES OF DETENTION : A PRACTICAL GUIDE 91 to the other. Annual reports can be in the form of a compilation of visit reports and present in detail the facts found in the different places visited and the recommendations made. The reports can be more analytical and underline the main issues identified in the course of the year. Annual reports can also focus on one or a limited number of priority thematic issues, and propose relevant recommendations. Under the OPCAT, national preventive mechanisms are expressly requested to present an annual report, and the State Party is required to publish and disseminate it. It is up to the national mechanism to decide whether the annual report should contain only general information on its monitoring activities or if visit reports and recommendations should also be included. 5.2.3 Dissemination of global reports Global reports should not only be addressed to the authorities. It is important for both annual and analytical reports to be made available to the public, including other players who can use their influence to support and monitor the implementation of recommendations, such as parliamentarians and civil society organisations. Depending on the monitoring body’s communication strategy, the reports, or summaries thereof can also be passed to the media. It should be noted that such reports can also be sent in future, confidentially or without any such limitation, to the Sub-Committee that will be established under the OPCAT. The reports will also be a useful source of information for other international bodies, in particular regional bodies such as the CPT, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur on Prisons and Conditions of Detention in Africa, as well as the CAT when the State report is examined, the Special Rapporteur on Torture, etc. (See Chapter II, point 4: Coordination).