I. ORGANIZATIONAL AND OTHER MATTERS A. States parties to the Convention 1. As at 15 May 2009, the closing date of the forty-second session of the Committee against Torture (hereinafter referred to as “the Committee”), there were 146 States parties to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (hereinafter referred to as “the Convention”). The Convention was adopted by the General Assembly in resolution 39/46 of 10 December 1984 and entered into force on 26 June 1987. 2. Since the last report Rwanda has become party to the Convention. The list of States which have signed, ratified or acceded to the Convention is contained in annex I to the present report. The list of States parties that have declared that they do not recognize the competence of the Committee provided for by article 20 of the Convention is provided in annex II. The States parties that have made declarations provided for in articles 21 and 22 of the Convention are listed in annex III. 3. The text of the declarations, reservations or objections made by States parties with respect to the Convention may be found in the United Nations website (www.un.org - Site index treaties). B. Sessions of the Committee 4. The Committee against Torture has held two sessions since the adoption of its last annual report. The forty-first session (836th to 865th meetings) was held at the United Nations Office at Geneva from 3 to 21 November 2008, and the forty-second session (866th to 895th meetings) was held from 27 April to 15 May 2009. An account of the deliberations of the Committee at these two sessions is contained in the relevant summary records (CAT/C/SR.836-895). C. Membership and attendance at sessions 5. The membership of the Committee remained the same during the period covered by this report. The list of members with their term of office appears in annex IV to the present report. D. Agendas 6. At its 836th meeting, on 3 November 2008, the Committee adopted the items listed in the provisional agenda submitted by the Secretary-General (CAT/C/41/1) as the agenda of its forty-first session. 7. At its 866th meeting, on 27 April 2009, the Committee adopted the items listed in the provisional agenda submitted by the Secretary-General (CAT/C/42/1) as the agenda of its forty-second session. E. Participation of Committee members in other meetings 8. During the period under consideration, Committee members participated in different meetings organized by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): the seventh inter-committee meeting, held from 23 to 25 June 2008, was attended by 1