SECTION 1. Implemenation of the NMP in ukraine further submission to the Verkhovna Rada. On August 9, 2012 President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych submitted the draft Law of Ukraine on amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights”. It vested NPM functions with the Ombudsman of Ukraine. On October 2, 2012 this draft was adopted as Law. This was a most important step on the way to implementation of the efficient 17 national preventive mechanism according to OPCAT, as operation of NPM on the basis of a statutory law is a key prerequisite of the independence of the system of monitoring visits of custodial settings. However, we believe that NPM implementation in Ukraine really began on May 25, 2012. On this date, following a discussion with NGO representatives, the Ombudsman of Ukraine Valeriya Lutkovska approved the new structure of her Secretariat. This structure is meant to ensure efficient realization of the four priority activities of the Ombudsman’s Office, namely – – – – implementation of the national preventive mechanism; protection of the social, economic and humanitarian rights; pursuance of antidiscrimination policies, gender equality and protection of the rights of the child; exercise of the freedom of expression, right to information and personal data protection. In the new structure of the Secretariat the activities in each of the priority areas are assigned to separate structural subdivisions. Apart from that the Ombudsman also launched the institution of own representatives; each of them is in charge of a specific area of the Ombudsman’s performance and, accordingly, coordinates the work of the relevant subdivisions of the Secretariat. These changes shortly received statutory approval by the above mentioned amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights”. Specifically, this Law was supplemented with a new Article 19-1 (“Performance of functions of the national preventive mechanism by the Commissioner”) providing that the Ombudsman’s Secretariat has a separate structural subdivision for prevention of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. This structural subdivision with equal representation of men and women and representation of ethnic minorities engages specialists of different backgrounds and proper professional training. Further ways of development of the NPM in Ukraine and its transformation into the