Declaration ONG Association de lutte contre la dépendance (NGO Association for the Control of Addiction). My organization thanks the Special Rapporteur on the rights of minorities and welcomes the clarity of the presentations made by the various panellists. I would like to make a modest contribution to the exchange of best practices in dealing with minority issues in the judicial system in Mauritania. The measures taken by the authorities of my country in order to prevent the discrimination in the functioning of criminal justice should be noted. The State set up a system of legal aid and instituted Including the payment of legal fees to the most deprived populations to ensure equality before the law. It supports the measures put in place by the NGOs which provide the poor with legal advice. The Haratin people are one of the groups that are allegedly discriminated. This morning the Deputy High Commissioner referred to the case of this group. I must point out that the Haratin people are an integral part of the majority Arab group in Mauritania and live in perfect symbiosis with all the national communities. They are not subject to any specific discrimination. They are represented in all the structures of the state apparatus in particular in the administration of justice. The Government has implemented, in cooperation with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the roadmap for the eradication of the aftermath of slavery in the country. I call upon the international community to support the efforts of the Government in order to rapidly overcome the after-effects of poverty and ignorance affecting several national communities, including the Haratin people. Déclaration ONG Association de lutte contre la dépendance Mon organisation remercie la Rapporteuse spéciale sur les droits des minorités et salue la clarté des présentations des différents panelistes. J’aimerais ici apporter une modeste contribution à l’échange de bonnes pratiques en matière de traitement des questions