• Information on cooperation with other actors working on the prevention of torture at the national and international level. • Perspectives and priorities for the following year. A good practice observed in some NPM annual reports is the inclusion of a specific thematic focus in relation to issues the NPM has analysed during the year and to use the annual report to write articles on themes observed across visits and sectors. This can even be a good alternative to writing a thematic report if resources or data do not allow for a full-scale report on a particular topic. In addition, after several years of practice (5 or 10 years, for example), some NPMs have conducted a self-evaluation of their work, identifying key milestones and impact on the prevention of torture and illtreatment. The result of this analysis may also be reflected in a specific chapter of the relevant annual report. Finally, due consideration should be given to the following elements when drafting an NPM annual report: • Confidential information should remain privileged and no personal data should ever be published without the express consent of the person concerned. • The tone of the report should be constructive, to reflect the spirit of cooperation and dialogue enshrined in the OPCAT. What should be the format of an NPM annual report? Annual reports can take different forms and the following should be considered prior to their elaboration: • Printed and online? Many annual reports are published in printed form but most NPMs now also make their annual reports available online to facilitate broad dissemination. Printed reports may be particularly useful for those, including many detainees, who do not have access to the internet. • Use of infographics? NPMs increasingly use infographics to make some of their findings and statistics more accessible. • Use of pictures? Pictures can be very powerful to illustrate specific conditions or situations documented in the report but should be used strategically to achieve a specific objective. NPMs should also ensure that individual persons cannot be identified. • Annexes? NPMs often add annexes to their annual reports including, for example, relevant legislation. Those should be kept to a minimum and could even be made available online on the NPM website for future reference. A key consideration, when defining the format of annual reports, is their readability and accessibility, bearing in mind they can have a rather broad audience. If the annual report is very long, it may be good to include an executive summary and to prepare a specific kit for the media to ensure that key messages are widely disseminated. When NPMs operate within a broader institution or are comprised of several institutions, should the NPM annual report be published separately? In cases of NPMs that are part of a broader institution (National Human Rights Institution or ombuds institution, for example), the question is whether the annual report should be published as part of the broader institution’s annual report or as a separate report. A good practice is for NPMs who are part of a broader institution to publish their annual report as a separate report or to have a specific chapter or section in the broader report of the institution. In the latter case, the communication strategy surrounding the publication of the report should ensure enough visibility for NPM work as one of the core mandates of the institution. Publication of a separate NPM annual report may be particularly NPM Toolkit for Asia Pacific NPM-NHRIs 25