ANNUAL SPECIAL REPORT 2016 ρρ 29 Participation of Authority representatives in conferences and working meetings 1. – An Authority representative participated in the conference “Ensuring fundamental rights compliant implementation of Framework Decisions related to detention. The role of the Judiciary and National Preventive Mechanisms” which was organised by the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute and the Academy of European Law (ERA) in Vienna (15-17 November 2017). Attending the conference were NPMs and members of the judiciary from 24 countries. The central theme of the conference was the reinforcement of fundamental rights, as these are encapsulated in EU legislation on detention through the role of the NPMs and the judiciary. The purpose of the conference was the exchange of information and the opening of channels of communication between NPMs and the judiciary, so as to ensure the necessary cooperation between them. 2. – An Authority representative participated in the Annual Meeting of NPMs from the OSCE region held in Vienna (13-14 October 2016). The above meeting was organised by the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT) together with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). The meeting was attended by representatives of 32 NPMs, APT and ODIHR officers, SPT and CPT representatives, as well as observers from other organisations and institutions. The Meeting aimed to: • Take stock of the NPMs’ work 10 years after the entry into force of the Operational Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT). • Empower NPMs to effectively implement their mandate, through exchange of experience and best practices with their peers and with other experts on preventive monitoring, including representatives of the SPT and the CPT. • Facilitate interaction between the OSCE and the NPMs and strengthen their mutual understanding of how the OSCE and the ODIHR can strategically support the effective implementation of the Operational Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT). 3. An Authority representative participated in the workshop for NPMs “Monitoring of Psychiatric Facilities”, organised by the International Ombudsman Institute together with the Association for