A/74/44 H. Participation of national human rights institutions and national preventive mechanisms 15. Similarly, the Committee appreciates the work of national human rights institutions and national preventive mechanisms established by States parties as provided for under the Optional Protocol. Since the fifty-fifth session, those institutions and mechanisms have had the possibility of meeting in private plenary with the Committee. Specifically, at the sixtyfourth session, the Committee met with the institution of the Russian Federation and the institutions and mechanisms of Chile and Mauritania; at the sixty-fifth session, it met with the institutions of Canada, Guatemala and the Netherlands, the mechanism of Peru and the institution and mechanism of Maldives; and at the sixty-sixth session, it met with the institution of South Africa, the mechanisms of Germany and Mexico and the institution and mechanism of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Committee expresses its appreciation for the oral and written information that it receives from those bodies, and looks forward to continuing to benefit from that information, which has enhanced its understanding of the issues before it. I. Rapporteur on reprisals 16. At its forty-ninth session, the Committee decided to adopt a mechanism to prevent, monitor and follow up on cases of reprisal against civil society organizations, human rights defenders, victims and witnesses after their engagement with the treaty body system. It subsequently appointed a rapporteur on reprisals under article 19 and a rapporteur on reprisals under articles 20 and 22. At its fifty-fifth session, the Committee adopted guidelines on the receipt and handling of allegations of reprisals against individuals and organizations cooperating with the Committee under articles 13, 19, 20 and 22 of the Convention (CAT/C/55/2). Those guidelines include a clear recognition of the value of the Guidelines against Intimidation or Reprisals (San José Guidelines). 17. At its sixty-third session, the Committee designated Ms. Racu as the rapporteur on reprisals under articles 19, 20 and 22. Information on action taken by rapporteurs during the reporting period is available on the Committee web page. Ms. Racu and Claude Heller Rouassant attended a workshop on reprisals, held in Geneva on 12 and 13 December 2018 and jointly organized by OHCHR and the International Service for Human Rights. J. Treaty body strengthening process 18. At its sixty-fourth session, the Committee discussed the recommendations of the Chairs of the human rights treaty bodies at their thirtieth meeting, held in New York from 29 May to 1 June 2018. The Committee held a thorough discussion on the review of the human rights treaty body system to be conducted by the General Assembly in 2020. In that context, it developed a treaty-body-oriented position for the 2020 review. At that same session, the Committee held its first joint meeting in plenary session with the Human Rights Committee to discuss issues of common interest and areas of cooperation, including the 2020 review, the simplified reporting procedure, the Human Rights Committee’s experience with its Working Group on Communications and jurisprudence on nonrefoulement. In October 2018, Jens Modvig attended an expert seminar on the human rights treaty body review agenda for 2020 and the scope for local and national engagement, organized by the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights and held in Oslo. At its sixty-fifth session, the Committee held its first ever plenary meeting with the Committee on Enforced Disappearances, to discuss the 2020 review in particular. The Committee also designated two focal points for the 2020 review, Felice Gaer and Mr. Modvig. The Chair organized with Dignity – Danish Institute against Torture a meeting of treaty body focal points on the 2020 review, which was held in Copenhagen on 26 and 27 February 2019 and attended by Ms. Gaer and Mr. Modvig. At its sixty-sixth session, the Committee held informal meetings with States parties and non-governmental organizations on the 2020 review and the Committee’s position (see annex II) respectively. 3