General Report of the CPT, 2011-2012 40. To borrow a phrase used at the November 2009 Strasbourg Conference on new partnerships for torture prevention in Europe, organised jointly by the CPT and the Association for the Prevention of Torture, the aim should be to “support and inspire each other”. Entered into in this spirit of building on each other’s accumulated experience, the exchange of knowledge can only deepen the impact of monitoring bodies, be they national, regional or universal. CPT/NPM interaction in the context of visits 41. A visit by the CPT, whether periodic or ad hoc, is a key moment for relations – and more specifically cooperation – between the Committee and the NPM in the country concerned. Before and during the visit 42. Before a periodic visit gets underway, the information gathered by the relevant NPM and its conclusions and annual reports can be invaluable to the CPT for the purposes of identifying the main themes of the visit and the particular places that should be visited. There needs to be continuous communication between the Committee’s secretariat and NPMs, increasing in intensity in the months preceding the visit. The publication by the CPT, at the end of each year, of the list of countries in which a periodic visit will take place in the following year should facilitate this process. Of course, information received from an NPM might also trigger an ad hoc visit by the CPT. 43. A meeting between the CPT’s delegation and representatives of the NPM should be organised at the outset of a visit. In this way, the delegation can be updated on the most recent information at the NPM’s disposal. In return, the delegation could indicate the places of deprivation of liberty it intends to visit, thereby reducing the risk of unnecessary duplication of work while the delegation is in the country (it being understood, of course, that the delegation may decide during the visit to alter its programme and go to other places). This meeting can also provide the occasion for a general discussion of the NPM’s work in the country in question and of any difficulties it may be encountering. Based on this discussion, the delegation may raise certain areas of concern with the national authorities, at the end-of-visit talks and/or in the visit report. 44. During the visit, the CPT’s delegation acts autonomously according to its defined priorities and the needs encountered on the ground. However, the Committee welcomes the presence of a representative of the NPM during its delegation’s meetings with the national authorities. Representation of the NPM is particularly useful at the end-of-visit talks, when the delegation will provide its preliminary remarks as well as any observations of an urgent nature. In this way, NPMs can be directly informed, without delay, of the CPT’s concerns and as appropriate take prompt action. Consequently, the CPT hopes that States Parties will give favourable consideration to requests from the NPM to be present at such meetings. 18