A/HRC/20/4 III. Activities of treaty bodies A. Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 37. As of 17 January 2012, there were 160 States parties to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, reflecting the same number of ratifications as in 2010 and 2011. On 10 December 2008, the General Assembly adopted the Optional Protocol to the Covenant, which was opened for signature and ratification on 24 September 2009. As of 18 January 2012, there were 7 States parties to the Protocol and 39 signatories. 38. The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights held two sessions during 2011 and considered the implementation of the Covenant in the following 10 States parties: Argentina, Cameroon, Estonia, Germany, Israel, the Republic of Moldova, the Russian Federation, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Yemen. The Committee adopted two statements, one on the obligations of States parties regarding the corporate sector and economic, social and cultural rights and another on the importance and relevance of the right to development. In the latter, the Committee recognized and reaffirmed “the linkage and the synergy between the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural rights and the Declaration on the Right to Development”, and “resolved to continue monitoring the implementation of all the rights protected by the Covenant contributing simultaneously to the full realization of the relevant elements of the right to development”. The Committee also pursued discussions, related to the development of two general comments, on the rights to sexual and reproductive health and to just and favourable conditions of work, respectively. B. Sub-Committee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment 39. In its annual report for 2011, the Sub-Committee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) set out its approach to the concept of prevention of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and punishment under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (CAT/C/46/2). In that context, it expressed great interest in the general situation within a country concerning the enjoyment of human rights (including economic, social and cultural rights) and how this affects the situation of persons deprived of their liberty, since the prevalence of torture and ill-treatment is influenced by a broad range of factors, including the general level of enjoyment of human rights and the rule of law, levels of poverty, social exclusion, corruption and discrimination. Thus, a holistic approach to the prevention of torture is followed by the Sub-Committee through its main pillar activities, namely its visits to places of deprivation of liberty as well as its work on National Preventive Mechanisms. 40. Accordingly, throughout 2011, the Sub-Committee puts its focus on the importance of human rights education in the prevention of torture, and on the correlation between corruption and the prevention of torture. Further, as SPT actively engages with the multifaceted nature of development and human rights in its preventive work with States parties and their National Preventive Mechanisms under the Optional Protocol, SPT took the opportunity to highlight the linkages between the right to development and the prevention of torture on the launching of OHCHR’s programme of commemoration for the twentyfifth anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development in 2011. 11