T he following provides a brief summary of the State Secretary A ndreas W esterfellhaus, enriched the event. A ll of the speeches given at this reception as well as written contributions can be found in an online publication. 1 T he fact that a large number of the participants were representatives from governmental and nongovernmental bodies and from facilities the N ational A gency has visited shows the keen D etailed information on each topic can be found in the individual chapters of this report. I n 2019, the N ational Agency visited a total of 58 facilities and accompanied seven deportation procedures. T he members of the N ational Agency met four times, in working meetings, to discuss standards, recommendations and current developments. its growing reputation over the years. T he N ational Agency strives to have a preventive effect, and therefore endeavours to disseminate and publicise the findings of its activities as widely as possible. T o this end, it carried out numerous activities in addition to its regular visits to places of detention. I n order to be able to make more visits to all the various types of facilities that fall within its remit, the N ational A gency decided not to focus on a particular issue this year. H owever, it did place a particular focus on psychiatric facilities throughout its visits. I t also visited a greater number of customs facilities, and was therefore able to ensure that more recommendations in these areas were implemented. A t the international level, a particularly important event was the review of the F ederal Repub U N C onvention against T orture, which was conducted within the framework of the periodic reporting procedure. T he C A T reviewed G ermany in spring 2019. T he N ational Agency participated in this procedure. I t not only took part in a consultation meeting with the F ederal M inistry of Justice and C onsumer Protection, but also took part in a meeting with the expert committee itself in G eneva. I n its concluding observations on the sixth periodic report of G ermany, the C A T makes several important recommendations for improving the protection of human rights in places of detention. 2 T he Some visits resulted in findings that have already been the subject of the N ational Reference should therefore also be made to the main topics addressed in the previous annual reports of the N ational A gency, which contain detailed information on the individual topics. A t the same time, there was visible progress in certain areas. T he improvements made in regard to detention conditions and treatment, for is having a lasting effect. Positive examples of this will be outlined in the following chapters on the individual types of facilities. F inally, during the course of its visits the N ational Agency also encountered new issues and problem areas, which it will address in detail. findings into its observations and emphasised, amongst other things, the need to provide the N ational Agency with sufficient human, financial, technical and logistical resources to enable it to carry out its mandate effectively. T he year 2019 gave cause for celebration, as it T he international exchange with various partner organisations is also important for the al exchange of N P M s from G ermany, A ustria and Switzerland took place in Z urich, at the invitation of Switzerland. T he meeting focussed on deprivation of liberty under migration law I n M ay 2019, the Agency celebrated the occasion by hosting a reception in Berlin, where it also officially published its 2018 A nnual Report. W elcoming remarks by the F ederal M inister of Justice, D r K atharina Barley, the Justice M inister of the Land of SchleswigH olstein, D r Sabine Sütterlin- W aack, the C hair of the Bundestag C ommittee for H uman Rights and H umanitarian A id, G yde Jensen, the G erman representative at the European C ommittee for the Prevention of T orture, Prof. Dr T homas F eltes, and the F ederal G overnment's N ursing C are Representative, https://www.nationalestelle.de/fileadmin/dateiablage/ D okumente/Sonstiges/Jubila eumsbroschuere_ N ationale_Stelle.pdf 2 https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/ D ownload.aspx?symbolno=C A T /C/D E U/C O /6& Lang=E n (retrieved on 23 September 2020) 1 10