Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Pre-sessional working group

5-9 December 2011

Implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

List of issues to be taken up in connection with the consideration of the initial report of Mauritania concerning articles 1 to 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (E/C.12/MRT/1)

I. General information

1.Please inform the Committee as to whether the economic, social and cultural rights, as contained in the Covenant, can be invoked in domestic courts? Please provide examples.

2.Please indicate what steps are taken by the State party to ensure that traditional Islamic sharia law and customary law do not negatively impact on the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights enshrined in the Covenant.

II. Issues relating to the general provisions of the Covenant (arts. 1-5)

Article 2 , paragraph 2 - Non-discrimination

3.Please provide data on complaints and court cases under the 2007/48 Act criminalizing slavery and repressing slavery practices. Moreover, please inform the Committee of the difficulties faced in the enforcement of the Act. Please also inform the Committee as to how the State party ensures that laws and policies adopted do not have a discriminatory impact on theso-called slaves, former slaves and people of slave descent.

4.Please provide information on measures taken to realize the right to work, the right to health, and the right to education of persons with disabilities.

Article 3 - Equal rights of men and women

5.Please inform the Committee on the steps taken by the State party to ensure that all its measures, legislative or otherwise, are in conformity with article 3 of the Covenant on the equal rights of men and women, and on the results achieved.

III. Issues relating to the specific provisions of the Covenant (arts. 6-15)

Article 6 - The right to work

6.Please provide information on any interim results achieved by the 2008-2012 National Employment Strategy. Please also indicate to what extent the Strategy has addressed the problems of unemployment among women and of access to employment for disadvantaged and marginalized individuals and groups, as mentioned in paragraph 140 of the State party’s report.

Article 7 - The right to just and favourable conditions of work

7.Please inform the Committee as to whether the minimum wage provides for a decent standard of living for the workers and their families.Please also indicate the measures, legislative or otherwise, taken by the State party to address the problem of occupational injuries and illnesses in various industries, as well as the monitoring of work-related accidents.

Article 8 - Trade union rights

8.Please indicate the measures taken to guarantee the freedom and the pluralism of trade unions. Please also inform the Committee as to how the system is organized and of any limitations to the right to collective bargaining.

Article 9 - The right to social security

9.Please inform the Committee of the percentage of the population not covered by social security. Please also inform the Committee as to whether measures have been taken to improve the coverage of social security for persons enrolled in the various schemes, including those who are unemployed, and in respect of risks and contingencies for which protection is provided.

Article 10 - Protection of the family, mothers and children

10.Please inform the Committee of the impact of measures taken to address child labour, particularly thoseundertaken in the regions most affected.

11.Please provide information on the measures, legislative or otherwise, taken to combat the problems of domestic violence, female genital mutilation, rape, and trafficking in persons, and the results achieved.

Article 11 - The right to an adequate standard of living

12.Please inform the Committee of the level of minimum subsistence in the State party. Please also inform the Committee as to how poverty-reduction initiatives have had an impact on the high percentage of people living in poverty and in extreme poverty.

13.Please inform the Committee as to how the process of decision-making on fishing agreements, which are the main source of revenues of the State party,takes into consideration the obligation of the State party to ensure the right to food of the population and future generations, as well as the right of fishermen to earn a living.

14.Please provide information on the impact of measures taken to address the problem of the large number of informal settlements in the State party, which gives rise to forced evictions. Please also inform the Committee about the occurrence of forced evictions and the extent of homelessness in the State party.

Article 12 - The right to physical and mental health

15.Please inform the Committee of the impact of any targeted measures taken to improve the access to, and the affordability of, health care for the most disadvantaged and marginalized individuals and groups, as referred to in paragraph 248 of the State party’s report. Please also provide information on the extent to which the State party has addressed the discriminatory situation identified in 2000 as regards the burden of health-care expenses for the most disadvantaged and marginalized individuals and groups who benefitted less from subsidies and spent a larger share of their income on health care.

16.Please indicate what steps have been taken by the State party to ensure access to sexual and reproductive health services by all sections of the population,and to promote sexual and reproductive health education, in particular for adolescent girls and boys.

17.Please provide information on the services available in the State party to mental health patients, including on its coverage vis-à-vis the needs described in paragraph 269 of the State party’s report. Please also inform the Committee as to whether measures have been taken to address the stigma attached to mental health.

18.Please inform the Committee of the impact of measures taken to improve the sanitation system in the State party, including the treatment and disposal of solid waste and waste water and to regulate both public and privatehealth-care services with regard to hygiene and sanitation.

Articles 13 and 14 - The right to education

19.Please inform the Committee of the measures taken by the State party to ensure that the capacity in public primary schools is sufficient to achieve a universal enrolment at the primary level. In this regard, please indicate as to whether article 3 of Act No. 75-023 and its application guarantee the obligation of the State party to ensure the availability and accessibility of primary education.

20.Please inform the Committee of the proportion of the budget allocated to higher education institutions, of specific measures taken to increase their capacity, and of measures taken to ensure that the number of teachers is adequate to cater to the needs of students.

Article 15 - Cultural rights

21.Please provide information on the measures taken to promote and protect the cultural heritage of the various ethnic groups in the State party and to facilitate the access to cultural goods and services, particularlyfor disadvantaged and marginalized individuals and groups.