5. One of the ways through which the CPTA accomplishes its mandate is to conduct promotion visits to States Parties with the objective of engaging in constructive dialogue with the authorities and other stakeholders on ways of effectively preventing torture and other prohibited acts under Article 5 of the Charter. The Islamic Republic of Mauritania ratified the African Charter on 14 June 1984 and also undertook to cooperate with the African Commission, particularly within the framework of promotion missions. In this regard and at the invitation of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, the CPTA undertook a Promotion Mission to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania from 26 March to 1 April 2012. II. TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE MISSION 6. The Terms of Reference of the Mission were as follows: - To promote and facilitate the effective implementation of the Robben Island Guidelines and to contribute to the prevention of torture, slavery and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in Mauritania; - To initiate constructive dialogue with the Mauritanian Authorities for the prevention of torture and the effective implementation of relevant regional and international standards; - To examine the steps taken by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania in the prevention of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including implementation of recommendations made by various human rights treaty bodies; - To examine the progress made in the process of ratification of the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) as was recommended during the Universal Periodic Review of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania by the Human Rights Council of the United Nations in 2010. - Consider what technical assistance the CPTA and other partners could bring to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania in the prevention of torture and other forms of ill-treatment, as well as in the fight against slavery; - Meet with civil society organizations and the media in order to raise awareness and exchange on the Robben Island Guidelines and other tools on the prohibition and prevention of torture; 6|Page