A/73/44 Summary The present annual report covers the period from 13 May 2017 to 18 May 2018, during which the Committee against Torture held its sixty-first, sixty-second and sixty-third sessions. As at 18 May 2018, there were 163 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, 17 reports submitted under article 19 of the Convention and a country situation in the absence of a report (see chap. III). At its sixty-first session, it considered the reports of Ireland, Panama, Paraguay and the country situation of Antigua and Barbuda. At its sixty-second session, it considered the reports of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Italy, Mauritius, the Republic of Moldova, Rwanda and Timor Leste. At its sixty-third session, it considered the reports of Belarus, Czechia, Norway, Qatar, Senegal and Tajikistan. The Committee deplores 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 26 States parties with overdue initial reports and 39 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 29 decisions on the merits and declared 15 communications inadmissible. Consideration of complaints was discontinued in 23 cases (see chap. VI). A total of 873 complaints concerning 39 States parties have been registered since the entry into force of the Convention, including 48 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. At the end of the sixty-third session, 148 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 Rapporteurs for follow-up to article 22 (see chap. VI). The Committee adopted its general comment No. 4 (2018) on the implementation of article 3 of the Convention in the context of article 22 (see chap. I), which replaces its general comment No. 1 (1997) on the implementation of article 3 in the context of article 22. It also paid particular attention to reprisals (see chap. I). GE.18-10535 (E) iii