77 National Dialogue The national dialogue in 2019 primarily concerned the follow-up of the Special Report to the Storting on Solitary Confinement and Lack of Human Contact in Norwegian Prisons. This also led the National Preventative Mechanism (NPM) to participate in Arendalsuka1 for the first time, ­hosting an event dedicated to the Special Report. The advisory committee The NPM’s advisory committee consists of seventeen members from organisations that have expertise in areas that are important to our mandate. The advisory committee members provide knowledge, advice and input on the preventive work. In consultation with the advisory committee, the number of meetings in 2019 was reduced from four to three, but the length of the meetings was extended. This provided the opportunity to take a deeper look into particular topics and made it easier for members who have to travel far to participate. During the meetings, the NPM informed the members about their work, and received input from the committee members. In addition, the NPM kept in dialogue with the members of the committee when necessary. The topics of the advisory committee meetings in 2019 have been the NPM’s thematic report on segregation in mental healthcare institutions, the Special Report to the Storting on Solitary Confinement and Lack of Human Contact in Norwegian Prisons and the NPM’s visits. In ­addition, other parties were invited to inform the members about relevant topics. During one of the meetings, the Board of Health Supervision informed members about its nationwide supervision of child welfare institutions in 2018, and in another, Professor Nora Sveaas talked about her work as a member of the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT). Current members In 2019, three new members joined the NPM’s advisory committee. The committee comprised representatives from the following organisations in 2019: › Amnesty International Norway › Juss-Buss (Free legal aid service run by law students) › The Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombudsman › The National Human Rights Institution › The Norwegian Alliance for Carers › The Norwegian Association for Persons with Development Disabilities (NFU) › The Norwegian Association of Youth Mental Health › The Norwegian Bar Association´s Human Rights Committee › The Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC) › The Norwegian Medical Association, represented by the Norwegian Psychiatric Association › The Norwegian Organisation for Asylum Seekers (NOAS) › The Norwegian Organization for Children in Care (NOOC) › The Norwegian Psychological Association’s Human Rights Committee › The Norwegian Research Network on Coercion in Mental Health Care (Tvangsforsk)