CAT/C/66/2 well as to support the mechanisms in their operational activities, as mandated by the Optional Protocol. 46. In addition to its visiting mandate, the Subcommittee also wishes to emphasize the importance it places on offering advice and assistance to States parties, to national preventive mechanisms and, upon request, to signatories and others, including other United Nations agencies and mechanisms, concerning the Optional Protocol and prevention of torture, as mandated by the Optional Protocol. 47. On a more positive note, the Subcommittee welcomes the decision of Ukraine to provide a standing approval and authorization for the publication of Subcommittee visit reports. This is a bold step and a welcome one, and the Subcommittee encourages other States parties to follow the example set by Ukraine and do the same. 48. Furthermore, during the course of 2018, the Subcommittee and the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment agreed upon a range of collaborative measures, as called for by article 31 of the Optional Protocol. As outlined in a joint statement by the Chairs of the Subcommittee and the European Committee in July 2018, this seeks to reinforce their complementarity in a manner that respects and reflects the respective strengths and value added of the Subcommittee and the European Committee. It also looks to enhance cooperation with national preventive mechanisms and States parties on the shared goal of enhancing the implementation at the country level of recommendations made by preventive bodies at the national, regional and global levels. The Subcommittee will work with the European Committee in order to implement this understanding, which allows both the Subcommittee and the European Committee to further enhance and strengthen their work in the field of torture prevention. V. Looking forward 49. Distressingly, and as foreseen, 2018 saw a decline in the number of visits undertaken by the Subcommittee. This diminution in productivity is not for the want of dedication, but for the lack of human resources provided to the Subcommittee by the United Nations to allow it to undertake its work as mandated by the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture. 50. While the Subcommittee has endeavoured to creatively circumvent the obstacles it has faced in recent years, this has its limits – and in 2018 they were reached and breached. For the avoidance of doubt, the Subcommittee is entirely aware that the real victims of this situation are detainees around the world, many of whom languish in the most inhuman of situations. 51. The Subcommittee will continue – as it has always done – to seek to find ways of fulfilling its mandate to the best of its abilities. But it cannot be complacent in the face of continued attempts of States parties to refuse to honour their Optional Protocol obligations and the reluctance of the international community through the United Nations to properly prioritize at the national and international levels the prevention of torture. 52. The Subcommittee believes that in many parts of the world there appears to be backward movement concerning commitments to the prevention of torture and ill-treatment. This is not only reflected in the reports of various organizations and groups; it is reflected also in the lived reality of the Subcommittee: too many States parties appear to have resiled from their enthusiasm and commitment to torture prevention, by challenging the mandate of the Subcommittee and not establishing and supporting national preventive mechanisms as the Optional Protocol envisages. 53. In its work, the Subcommittee hears much rhetoric that does not reflect reality. The Subcommittee understands this, and why this is so often the case. The Subcommittee is committed to working with States parties to change those realities and close that “reality gap” – in confidence and with understanding and sensitivity. At the same time, the Subcommittee’s overriding priority must be the victims of torture and ill-treatment. The Subcommittee was 10