promotion mission. She welcomed the prohibition of slavery and torture in the amended Constitution of Mauritania as crimes against humanity and emphasized the necessity for the intensification of efforts to fight slavery through effective application of the anti-slavery law and the adoption of specific legislation criminalizing torture. She informed the President that a report will be produced and sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their comments before it is published. 26. His Excellency Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, thanked the delegation for visiting the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and explained that as a new administration there are quite a number of challenges in the country, including conditions of detention which he attributed to poverty, and scarcity of resources. He informed the delegation that his Government is committed to address these challenges through education and awareness. His Excellency Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, thanked the delegation, once more and said he looked forward to receiving the Report. At the end of the audience, the Commissioner also made a public statement to the local media. ii. Meeting with the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Humanitarian Action and Relations with Civil Society, 26 March 2012 27. The Delegation held its first meeting with officials of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Humanitarian Action and Relations with Civil Society, where they were received by the High Commissioner, Hon. Mohammed Adellahi ould Khattra. 28. After the exchange of courtesies, the Chairperson informed the Commission that the visit falls within the mandate of the CPTA to visit Member States of the African Union and to make appropriate recommendations on how to promote the Robben Island Guidelines. Commissioner Khattra briefed the delegation on the role of his ministerial department and underscored the commitment and political will of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania to promote and protect human rights. He informed the delegation that Mauritania was elected as a member of the Human Rights Council in 2010 and was peer reviewed by the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism that same year. He stated that this was proof that the Government of Mauritania had made a choice to protect the rights of its citizens. He also expressed the willingness of the Government to implement the Recommendations that would ensue from the visit. 29. The delegation was informed that Mauritania has not only signed the Optional Protocol for the Convention Against Torture, but that the document has been 12 | P a g e