A/70/44 M. Thirtieth anniversary of the Convention 22. At its fifty-third session, on 4 November 2014, the Committee celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of the Convention at the Palais des Nations, in Geneva. On that occasion, the Committee held a half-day event to be able to interact with various stakeholders with a view to promoting the universal ratification of the Convention as well as to take stock both of the ways States parties have implemented the provisions of the Convention and of the related difficulties. The event took place in the context of the Convention against Torture Initiative, a 10-year initiative to promote the universal ratification and full implementation of the Convention. 23. The celebration was divided into two panel discussions: one on promoting the universal ratification of the Convention and another on the implementation by States parties of the provisions of the Convention. In both discussions, the main constraints and challenges were identified, and examples of achievements and best practices were provided. High-level international experts gave presentations for each of the panel discussions, followed by plenary discussions. 24. The event brought together States Members of the United Nations; United Nations mechanisms, including treaty bodies and special procedures mandate holders; other intergovernmental bodies, including regional bodies; NGOs; academics; and others interested in the Convention. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights opened the event, and a written message from the Secretary -General was addressed to the participants. The event received video contributions from OHCHR field offices in Guinea-Bissau, Paraguay and Uganda. The programme of the ceremony and the text of the presentations can be found on the Committee ’s web page. N. Retreat on the working methods of the Committee 25. During its fifty-third session, the Committee held a two-day retreat to discuss its working methods. The programme of the retreat covered the core activi ties of the Committee, that is: (a) Consideration of reports under article 19, including the current practice of the Committee and the experience of other treaty bodies, the achievements and challenges of the Committee’s reporting procedure, traditional reports, the simplified reporting procedure (lists of issues prior to reporting) and reporti ng guidelines; preparation for the dialogue, including the format of the dialogue and guidelines; concluding observations, including follow-up to and the implementation of concluding observations; and the selection of rapporteurs and reports; (b) Confidential inquiries under article 20, including methodological and procedural issues and follow-up; (c) Individual communications under article 22, including rapporteurs, interim measures, follow-up and guidelines; (d) General comments, including the methodology for the selection of topics and drafting, rapporteurs, consultation and guidelines; (e) Other matters, including reprisals, the annual report of the Committee to the General Assembly, external activities and cooperation with other entities. 26. 10/24 Following the retreat, the Committee took the following decisions: GE.15-13195