Mauritania’s Efforts To Protect, Promote Rights Hailed Internationally

Mr. Cheikh Ahmedou Ould Ahmed Salem Ould Sidi, the Commissioner for Human Rights, Humanitarian Action, and Relations with Civil Society, affirmed that Mauritania had taken a quantum leap in the past three years inthe field of protection and promotion of human rights.

In a speech delivered during the meeting held on 7 April in Nouakchott with representatives of civil society organizations, he added that these achievements are appreciated and hailed internationally, making our country a model in the

protection and promotion of human rights, whether in terms of the promulgation of laws relating to this area or in terms of mechanisms and methods for dealing with human rights issues.

He indicated that the Commission, in accordance with the directives of His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, the President of the Republic, has opted for a participatory approach in various issues related to human rights, to which all national organizations and bodies

participated with their vision of reality and their perceptions and suggestions of what needs to be done, whether it is to develop strategies or enact laws, or by carrying out awareness-raising campaigns at the level of the different wilayas of the country about the need to protect and promote human rights.

The Commissioner reviewed the achievements made over the past three years, particularly the adoption of an important legal arsenal to safeguard human rights, the organization of major national campaigns to raise awareness about the laws criminalizing slavery

and trafficking in human beings for the benefit of administrative, judicial, and security authorities, and the launch of the largest awareness-raising caravan in the country’s history on the laws criminalizing discrimination, human trafficking, slavery, and torture.

He added that these achievements also include the organization of a round table attended by magistrates, lawyers, representatives of civil society, and the National Human Rights Commission, which resulted in severalimportant recommendations, as well as the preparation and publication of a joint circular signed by the Ministers of Interior and Decentralization, National Defense, and Justice, in which they urge the judicial and security authorities tostrict enforcement of laws.

The Commissioner stated that the achievements made by Mauritania over the past three years in the field of human rights, which are in line with the vision of His Excellency the President of the Republic and the place occupied by human rights

in its program, have enabled our country to obtain positive results at the international level.

Thus, he said, the national human rights commission was reclassified to category “A” in the United Nations classification of national human rights institutions, raising the classification from

our country ranked second in the human trafficking index published by the US State Department in its annual report, announcing Mauritania’s eligibility to benefit from US funds provided by the Millennium Challenge Corporation.

In their speeches, the leaders of civil society organizations and bodies welcomed the organization of this consultative meeting, which reflects a real desire to concretely address all issues related to human rights in the country.

They thanked the new approach adopted by the Commissioner for Human Rights, Humanitarian Action, and Relations with Civil Society, which is based on openness to civil society, discussion with it on the various issues

related to the country and involvement in the assessment of reality, and the search for solutions.