department which regularly sends missions to the field to follow up on the implementation and impact of the projects. The delegation was further informed that there is also a Pilot Committee for Budget and Action Plans which reports directly to the Commissioner for Human Rights as well as to state auditors and other authorities who ensure the financial probity of the program and making sure that all the funds set aside for the program are used for the benefit of the identified affected populations. He stated that due to the nomadic lifestyle of most of the affected populations who live in dispersed settlements, it is difficult to conceive and implement projects in one area to benefit a large number of peoples, in addition to funding constraints. vii. Meeting with Officials of the National Gendarmerie, 27 March 2012 54. The delegation met with Colonel Ahmed Amou Jubeine, Communications and Public Relations Officer, of the National Gendarmerie at the offices of the National Gendarmerie. Also present at this meeting were two other senior members of the National Gendarmerie. .After the exchanges of the usual courtesies, Colonel Ahmed Amou Jubeine assured members of the delegation that the National Gendarmerie shares the same concerns as the CPTA and considers the respect for human rights and all the safeguards provided by Mauritanian law against torture and ill-treatment to be very crucial for the gendarmerie since they deal with arrests and pretrial detention both in rural and urban settings. He stated that Mauritanian law meets international standards and that all guarantees against the abuse of detainees provided by the law are respected by the gendarmerie. He categorically denied the existence of slavery in Mauritania and stated that he had worked in the interior of the country for a very long time and no case of slavery was ever brought to his notice. viii. Meeting with the Minister of Interior and Decentralization , 27 March 2012 55. The delegation visited the Ministry of Interior and Decentralization, where they were received by the Hon. Mohamed ould Beilile, Minister of Interior and Decentralization. Following introductory remarks from the Chairperson, the Minister welcomed the delegation and outlined the primary functions of his ministry, which he said dealt with amongst other thingsThe Minister explained that because his Ministry is in charge of important departments and units like the National Police, internal security and immigration, human rights are a fundamental part of the Ministry’s responsibilities and obligations. He assured the delegation that though there are many challenges for his Ministry, not least concerns about terrorism, his Ministry actions is premised on universal human rights and the values enshrined in the national Constitution. 20 | P a g e