As of 2017, the projects supported by the Special Fund should focus on the establishment and effective functioning of NPMs. Applications to the Special Fund may be submitted by institutions of States parties to the Optional Protocol, which have been visited by the Subcommittee and their NPMs, and which have agreed to the publication of the Subcommittee’s visit report.60 Applications may also be submitted by NHRIs that comply with the Paris Principles and by NGOs, provided that the proposed projects are implemented in cooperation with eligible States parties or NPMs. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR A GRANT UNDER THE OPCAT SPECIAL FUND uuProject proposal implements SPT recommendations contained in the visit report uuThe SPT visit report is published uuProject proposal focuses on the establishment and/or strengthening of NPMs ELIGIBLE ENTITIES uuState authorities uuNPMs uuNHRIs uuNGOs and CSOs • NGOs and CSOs must have an agreement with the authorities entrusted with the implementation of SPT recommendations in the countries concerned More information on the Fund and on the Call for Applications is available at http://www.ohchr.org/ opcatfund. Results achieved The projects supported by the Fund have been instrumental in implementing the Subcommittee’s recommendations. Since its first call for applications in 2012, the Special Fund has provided grants for more than 47 technical cooperation projects in 13 countries worldwide. These projects resulted in legislative changes, for example bringing laws in line with international human rights standards on torture prevention (including revised codes of criminal procedure, prison acts and laws prohibiting abusive body searches on persons deprived of their liberty), as well as laws to establish NPMs on torture. They also supported institutional changes, such as establishing or strengthening the effective functioning of NPMs on torture or other relevant institutions, establishment of registers of detainees, and operational changes resulting from the enhanced knowledge and skills of judicial, law enforcement and medical personnel. Finally, they resulted in changes in people’s lives including, in one case, a reported decrease in violence against children in detention facilities. The projects also contributed, by developing and distributing manuals, to increasing the awareness of persons deprived of their liberty in relation to their rights. The Special Fund has proven to be a unique tool for supporting implementation of SPT recommendations. It can also serve as an incentive for the publication of the Subcommittee’s visit reports and for enhancing the transparency and efficiency of torture prevention. 60 The SPT visit reports are available on the SPT web page: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/TreatyBodyExternal/ CountryVisits.aspx?SortOrder=Chronological. KEY CRITERIA FOR AN EFFECTIVE NATIONAL PREVENTIVE MECHANISM I 35