CERD/C/65/CO/5 Page 2 B. Positive aspects 5. The Committee welcomes the delegation’s announcement that a national plan of action for the promotion and protection of human rights, drawn up in cooperation with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, was adopted in September 2003. 6. The Committee takes note of the delegation’s statement regarding the deposit of instruments of ratification of both the International Covenants on Human Rights and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. 7. The Committee welcomes the formulation in 2001 of a strategic framework for combating poverty. 8. The Committee takes note with satisfaction of the adoption on 17 July 2003 of the Act on the Suppression of Trafficking in Persons and, in June 2004, of article 5 of the Labour Code, on the prohibition of forced and compulsory labour. C. Concerns and recommendations 9. The Committee notes that the State party’s report contains information on the linguistic composition of the population, but that this information does not convey the full complexity of Mauritanian society, particularly with regard to the composition of the Arabic-speaking group. It regrets that the economic and social indicators provided for the Committee were not disaggregated by descent or ethnic origin. The State party should carry out a more precise population census that is not limited to linguistic factors, and produce more detailed indicators disaggregated by descent or ethnic origin. The Committee recommends that the State party carry out targeted surveys, on the basis of voluntary self-identification, which will make it possible to determine the situation of the groups falling within the definition of article 1 of the Convention, and communicate the findings to the Committee in its next report. 10. The Committee notes that only the Labour Code contains a definition of racial discrimination that is close to the definition given in article 1 of the Convention. The State party should incorporate in its domestic law a definition of racial discrimination that is applicable in every sphere of social life and that reproduces all the elements in article 1 of the Convention, including discrimination based on descent. 11. The Committee is concerned that some non- governmental human rights organizations have not been officially recognized, despite having applied for such recognition. The Committee recommends that the State party remove all constraints on the exercise of freedom of association and that it recognize the non-governmental human rights organizations.