34 International cooperation Other international cooperation During the course of 2014, the NPM was in contact with a number of international actors as part of its efforts to strengthen the rights of persons deprived of their liberty. The exchange of experience and knowledge with other NPMs has been particularly important. The NPM has benefited greatly from the experiences of others, and received valuable information. This has supported the NPM’s own professional development as well as the development of methods and plans for prevention efforts in Norway. In January, the NPM participated in an expert visit to the office of the Attorney General of Russia, where it gave a presentation on Norway’s ratification of the Optional Protocol and the establishment of Norway’s national preventive mechanism. The meeting topic was supervision of deprivation of liberty, and the itinerary included a visit to a detention facility in Moscow. In the spring, the NPM also conducted study visits to Stockholm, Copenhagen and Geneva to meet the NPMs of Sweden, Denmark and Switzerland. Norway’s National Preventive Mechanism – Annual Report 2014 In April, the NPM attended a meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) focusing on torture prevention. Ahead of the OSCE meeting, the NPM was invited to a pre-meeting for selected preventive mechanisms in the OSCE region, arranged by Switzerland and the APT. During the OSCE meeting, the NPM established contact with, among others, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Juan Mendez. Two members of the NPM’s staff attended the NordicBaltic meeting of ombudsmen (12–13 June), giving a presentation on the process of establishing a national preventive mechanism in Norway. The meeting also included brief visits to two Lithuanian prisons. In October, the NPM hosted representatives from the ombudsman and national preventive mechanism of Lithuania. The itinerary included meetings with the Ombudsman for Children, the Equality and AntiDiscrimination Ombud and Norway’s National Institution for Human Rights, as well as a visit to Oslo prison.