Report of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights on his mission to Mauritania (A/HRC/35/26/Add.1) [EN/AR]

Human Rights Council

Thirty-fifth session

6 June-23 June 2017

Agenda item 3

Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development

Note by the Secretariat

The Secretariat has the honour to transmit to the Human Rights Council the report of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, on his mission to Mauritania from 2 to 11 May 2016. The Special Rapporteur found that, while Mauritania has made a significant progress in alleviating poverty in recent years, a large part of the population continues to live in multidimensional poverty, deprived of access to adequate food, education, water and sanitation, and health care. He also found that Haratines and Afro-Mauritanians are excluded from almost all positions of real power and many aspects of economic and social life, which has the consequence of condemning them to poverty. Other challenges to eliminating poverty include the lack of recognition of social and economic rights, the absence of accurate and disaggregated data and shrinking civil society space. The recommendations made by the Special Rapporteur in the present report focus on the work of Tadamoun — the National Agency for the Eradication of the Vestiges of Slavery, Social Integration and Action to Fight Poverty — the Strategy for Accelerated Growth and Shared Prosperity and the Government’s broader social protection policies and programmes.

I. Introduction

1. Pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 8/11 and 26/3, the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights visited Mauritania from 2 to 11 May

2. The purpose of the visit was to evaluate and report to the Council on the extent to which the Government’s policies and programmes relating to extreme poverty are consistent with its human rights obligations and to offer constructive recommendations to the Government and other stakeholders.

3. The Special Rapporteur is grateful to the Government of Mauritania, particularly the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights and Humanitarian Action, for its full support. During his mission, the Special Rapporteur met with the Prime Minister, the President of the National Assembly, the Minister of National Education, the Minister of the Interior and Decentralization, the Minister of Housing, Urban and Regional Development, the Minister of Social Affairs, Children and Families and the Minister of Economy and Finance. He also met with the Director General of Tadamoun, the National Agency for the Eradication of the Vestiges of Slavery, Social Integration and Action to Fight Poverty, the Director of the National Statistics Office, the Director General of the National Agency for Population and Identity Documents Registration, the Commissioner for Food Security and the President of the National Commission on Human Rights.

4. In Nouakchott, the Special Rapporteur met with representatives of political parties, civil society organizations, international organizations and the diplomatic community. He visited informal settlements in El-Mina and Dar el-Beida districts, and the regions (wilayas) of Gorgol, Brakna and Trarza. In those wilayas, he met with governors (walis), prefects (hakems), mayors, regional representatives of national ministries and agencies, representatives of civil society organizations and international organizations, and many individuals living in poverty.

5. The Special Rapporteur appreciates the assistance provided by various international organizations, particularly the World Bank and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). He is also grateful to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and experts for the important assistance and advice provided.