A/HRC/16/17 approach addressing all forms of slavery and discrimination would enable the country to better comply with its international obligations in the area of human rights. Canada made recommendations. 35. Chad welcomed Mauritania’s legal framework for respect for human rights, and asked a question about the current situation of the survivors of slavery. 36. Israel looked forward to the day when constitutional order and democracy would serve as the cornerstone for building a comprehensive human rights framework, both in law and in practice, to ensure adherence to international human rights norms and standards. Israel made recommendations. 37. The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya acknowledged the great efforts made by Mauritania in the areas of education, health care and other areas related to human rights, and thanked the country for its efforts in relation to the national strategy for social matters and protection of the elderly and women. It made recommendations. 38. Yemen noted that Mauritania had succeeded in resolving political problems through peaceful means and had held democratic elections in 2009. In addition, Mauritania, being aware of the human rights challenges, had established a number of ministerial agencies to address them. Yemen made a recommendation. 39. The delegation of Mauritania said that its civil society organizations had been involved in preparing the national report, in accordance with universal periodic review guidelines, through their participation in the national consultations that had been organized at a June 2010 national workshop in which all interested parties had participated. The conclusions of the consultations, which took into account both the progress made and the limitations and difficulties reported, were reflected in the national report. 40. With regard to its standing invitation to special procedures mandate holders of the Human Rights Council, it should be emphasized that Mauritania had responded positively to all mission requests made by mandate holders and remained open to all similar requests. 41. With regard to the question of whether Mauritania planned to withdraw its general reservation concerning the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the delegation recalled that, when Mauritania had signed the Convention in 2000, it had made a general reservation to the provisions of the Convention that were at odds with sharia law, which formed the basis of its domestic legislation. In light of the recommendations made by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women during its consideration of the country’s initial report in 2007, the Government had decided to examine the provisions of the Convention that contradicted sharia law. To that end, the Government had engaged in broad consultations with the ulema, and was now working to complete the procedure for withdrawing the general reservation and replacing it with more specific ones. 42. All Mauritanian refugees in exile were free to return to Mauritania, and there was nothing to prevent them from living in their country and taking part in its development. After the events of 1989, more than 20,000 refugees had returned under the tripartite agreement signed in 2007 by Mauritania, Senegal and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. A further 2,400 refugees had been registered and were to return by the end of December 2010, when Mauritania intended to conclude the return operation. Provision had been made to ensure that all refugees received certification of nationality as soon as they returned. An agency to promote refugee reintegration had been established, and substantial financial resources had been allocated for that purpose. 43. Each year, ever since the launch of an initiative to resolve outstanding humanitarian issues in Kaédi by His Excellency the President of the Republic, 25 March was celebrated as a national day of reconciliation. As part of that process, the State had awarded material 7