International activities 4.2.5 International networking Sharing of experience and ideas in Germanspeaking countries In order to share experiences with other German-speaking preventive mechanisms, the NPM sent representatives to an initial meeting in Berlin in April. The goal of this meeting was to establish collaboration between the NPMs of Germany, Austria and Switzerland; the focal points were sharing ideas about effective prevention work, successful work methodologies and tried-and-tested strategies in the individual countries. Due to the great success of this first meeting, the NPM will plan a subsequent meeting in Austria. South-East-European NPM Network Since October 2013, the NPM has also been a member of the South-East Europe NPM Network (SEE NPM Network). This association of ombudsman institutions from Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia and Austria, which have been entrusted with NPM responsibilities, provides a forum where knowledge and experiences are shared and mutual support is provided. The Austrian NPM was again represented at three of these Network meetings in 2014. Slovenian Ombudsman institution The first meeting of the SEE NPM Network was organised by the Slovenian ombudsman institution in Ljubljana. During a visit at the police detention centre in Ljubljana, the participants gained insight into the day-to-day work of the Slovenian NPM. NPM workshop in Macedonia An SEE NPM workshop in Macedonia was about monitoring and control of psychiatric institutions and prevention of and protection from torture and abuse. This was prompted by the current situation in Macedonia and the fact that doctors working in psychiatric institutions do not accept any form of external monitoring and control. Therefore, doctors were also invited to the workshop so that they could inform themselves about internationally established control mechanisms and practices. A lecture held by a commission member was particularly well received by the participants due to his practical experience. OPCAT forum in Belgrade Representatives of the SEE NPM Network were invited to an OPCAT forum organised by the Serbian Ombudsman in November in Belgrade in order to discuss an approach to abolishing torture and the struggle against impunity in this area. The participants shared their experiences about the situation in initial reception centres, prisons and psychiatric institutions. The NPM makes its expertise available to colleagues from around the world within the scope of bilateral meetings as well. Bilateral meeting with Tunisian delegation 24 The NPM was very pleased about Tunisia’s initiative, which is the first country in the entire Middle East to take steps toward creating its own NPM. In February, a Tunisian delegation was received in Vienna for meetings to share experiences. The goal of the visit was to support Tunisia in the establishment of an NPM, respond to questions about financing and dealing with challenges as well as discuss the criteria for selecting members for such