A/75/44 Summary The present annual report covers the period from 18 May 2019 to 15 May 2020, during which the Committee against Torture held its sixty-seventh and sixty-eighth sessions and some activities initially linked to the sixty-ninth session, which could not be held on its originally scheduled dates due to the situation related to the coronavirus disease (COVID19) pandemic. As at 15 May 2020, there were 169 States parties to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. During the period under review, the Committee considered, and adopted concluding observations on, 10 reports submitted under article 19 of the Convention (see chap. III). At its sixty-seventh session, it considered the reports of Bangladesh, Greece, Poland and Togo. At its sixty-eighth session, it considered the reports of Burkina Faso, Cyprus, Latvia, the Niger, Portugal and Uzbekistan. The review of the reports of Cuba, Kenya, Iceland, Montenegro, the United Arab Emirates and Uruguay, scheduled for the sixty-ninth session, were postponed due to the COVID-19 situation. The Committee deeply regrets the fact that some States parties do not comply with their reporting obligations under article 19 of the Convention. At the time of reporting, there were 25 States parties with overdue initial reports and 44 States parties with overdue periodic reports (see chap. II). The Committee’s procedure for following up on concluding observations continued to develop during the reporting period (see chap. IV). The Committee expresses its appreciation to those States parties that have provided timely and thorough information to the Rapporteur for follow-up under article 19. The Committee’s procedure under article 20 continued during the reporting period (see chap. V). Under article 22 of the Convention, the Committee adopted 15 decisions on the merits, declared 5 communications inadmissible and 2 communications admissible, and postponed examination of 3 communications. Consideration of complaints was discontinued in 21 cases (see chap. VI). A total of 1,003 complaints concerning 39 States parties have been registered since the entry into force of the Convention, including 61 since the writing of the previous report. The Committee’s workload under article 22 remains significant, as demonstrated by the large number of complaints registered during the reporting period and the Committee’s efforts to reduce its backlog by considering an increased number of individual communications. As at 15 May 2020, 192 complaints were pending consideration (see chap. VI). The Committee again notes that some States have failed to implement the decisions adopted on complaints. The Committee has continued to seek to ensure implementation of its decisions through its Rapporteur for follow-up on decisions adopted under article 22 (see chap. VI). The Committee also paid particular attention to reprisals (see chap. I). iii