A/HRC/26/49/Add.1 of a first census centre in Nouakchott on 5 May 2011; in 2013 there was a total of 216 census centres of which 8 located abroad for the census of Mauritanian expatriates. The Government explained that the census has been designed along three successive phases: (1) registration of the population in possession of all requested documents; (2) registration of those partially fulfilling the documentation requirements; (3) and registration of the population not possessing any identification documents. Although the Government reported that the current census has allowed for the registration of 2.9 million people, representing 700,000 additional citizens which had not been censed during the 2008 census and subsequent complementary census operations conducted until 2009; the current national exercise has brought to the surface not only the deep-seated issues that divided the society along ethnic and caste lines but also unresolved human rights violations perpetrated in the late 1980s. Since September 2011 there have been continuing demonstrations against certain practices linked to the census exercise and groups which have traditionally been discriminated against have expressed concerns with regard to the registration requirements, which have been viewed by some as an attempt to strip members of Mauritanian society of their right to nationality. 38. According to the conditions set by the National Agency for Population Registration and Secured Titles, in order to be registered the following must be submitted: (a) A 1998 census birth certificate; (b) A national identification card; (c) Parents’ National Identification Numbers (for persons under 45 years of age, their parents must be registered before they can be enrolled); (d) applicable; Parent(s)’ death certificate, for individuals under 45 years of age, if (e) Any other document confirming the applicant’s identity such as a passport, an old birth certificate, or a certificate of nationality. The Government also reported that the registration of each individual is done in two steps: (1) the identification of the individual through the compiling and screening of existing identification documents; (2) and subsequently the registration of the individual’ biographic and biometric data. 39. The requirements of the census have reportedly particularly affected the Haratine and Afro-Mauritanian communities. These requirements de facto exclude Haratine whose parents and grandparents were never registered for the most part, and whose births were never registered, being born of parents who had not contracted civil marriages, and therefore could not acquire nationality in their own right. In this regard it is important to note that following a civil status reform in 2010, birth certificates can be issued to children born on Mauritanian soil only if their parents’ marriage is registered and can provide a marriage certificate in compliance with the Personal Status Code of 2001 (Law 2001-052 of 19 July 2001) which establishes that traditional marriages must be approved by a civil registration office within 3 months for them to be legally recognized. 40. The Government reported that within the first two years of the census campaign, parents’ marriage certificate were not required in order to register children; however when the number of registered persons reached 2 million and that of registered children tremendously increased, the presentation of a marriage certificate was made a mandatory to enrol children. The Government explained that this measure has been enforced to fulfil two objectives: (1) to safeguard the interest of the child and the mother and (2) educate the 11