A/HRC/31/6 Introduction 1. The Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, established in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 5/1, held its twenty-third session from 2 to 13 November 2015. The review of Mauritania was held at the 3rd meeting on 3 November 2015. The delegation of Mauritania was headed by the Minister of Justice, Brahim Ould Daddah. At its 10th meeting, held on 6 November 2015, the Working Group adopted the report on Mauritania. 2. On 13 January 2015, the Human Rights Council selected the following grou p of rapporteurs (troika) to facilitate the review of Mauritania: Bangladesh, the Congo and France. 3. In accordance with paragraph 15 of the annex to Human Rights Council resolution 5/1 and paragraph 5 of the annex to Council resolution 16/21, the followi ng documents were issued for the review of Mauritania: (a) A national report submitted/written presentation made in accordance with paragraph 15 (a) (A/HRC/WG.6/23/MRT/1); (b) A compilation prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in accordance with paragraph 15 (b) (A/HRC/WG.6/23/MRT/2); (c) A summary prepared by OHCHR in accordance with paragraph 15 (c) (A/HRC/WG.6/23/MRT/3). 4. A list of questions prepared in advance by Belgium, Germany, Mexico, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was transmitted to Mauritania through the troika. These questions are available on the extranet of the Working Group. I. Summary of the proceedings of the review process A. Presentation by the State under review 5. The delegation of Mauritania underlined the firm commitment of the President, Mohammad Ould Abdel Aziz, to promoting and protecting human rights. It stated that a workplan had been developed to institute governan ce that would ensure national unity and cement democracy and solidarity among the various sectors of society. In addition, since the first reporting cycle, Mauritania had strengthened the legislative and institutional framework for human rights: the Consti tution had been revised in 2012 to reaffirm the country’s cultural and linguistic diversity, to designate slavery and torture as crimes against humanity and to make provision for a national human rights institution. The delegation further noted that in Mau ritania, international human rights treaties had priority over national laws. Mauritania had withdrawn its reservations to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, except to article 13 (a) and to article 16 in its ent irety, and it had acceded to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Finally, Mauritania had joined the human rights institutions of the African Union to which it did not already belong. 6. The delegation then addressed the issue of improving the effectiveness of human rights institutions through easier access to justice, the establishment of specialized GE.15-22687 3/26