I. ORGANIZATIONAL AND OTHER MATTERS A. States parties to the Convention 1. As at 20 May 2005, the closing date of the thirty-fourth session of the Committee against Torture, there were 139 States parties to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. 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, Timor-Leste, Liberia, Mauritania and the Syrian Arab Republic have become parties 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. States parties have declared that they do not recognize the competence of the Committee provided for by article 20 of the Convention (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 thirty-third session (620th to 638th meetings) was held at the United Nations Office at Geneva from 15 to 26 November 2004, and the thirty-fourth session (639th to 668th meetings) was held from 2 to 20 May 2005. An account of the deliberations of the Committee at these two sessions is contained in the relevant summary records (CAT/C/SR.620-668). C. Membership and attendance at sessions 5. The membership of the Committee remained the same during the period covered by the present report with the exception of Mr. Yu Mengjia who resigned in November 2004. The Government of China proposed Mr. Xuexian Wang to replace Mr. Yu Mengjia for the remainder of his term (31 December 2005) in accordance with article 17, paragraph 6, of the Convention and article 13 of the Committee’s rules of procedure. Mr. Xuexian Wang assumed his duties on the first day of the thirty-fourth session. The list of members, with their terms of office, appears in annex IV to the present report. D. Solemn declaration by the newly appointed member 6. At the 639th meeting on 2 May 2005, Mr. Xuexian Wang, designated to replace Mr. Yu Mengjia, made the solemn declaration upon assuming his duties, in accordance with rule 14 of the rules of procedure. E. Election of officers 7. At the thirty-fourth session, on 2 May 2005, the Committee elected Mr. Xuexian Wang as Vice-Chairperson to serve the remainder of Mr. Yu’s term until 31 December 2005. 1