A/HRC/30/8 and Transfer of Prisoners Act, had been passed and were expected to enhance the effectiveness of the delivery of services in the justice sector. Maldives was continuously working with international human rights mechanisms with the aim of training and building the capacity of judges so as to encourage the growth of the judiciary into an arm of the State that was strong, robust and enjoyed strong public support. 26. The progress achieved, within only 10 years, was by any measure remarkable. Among the many remaining challenges was the incredibly high economic cost of bringing the systemic changes envisioned in the 2008 Constitution and the speed of the change, which had not given adequate time for the country to develop a pool of human resources capable of transforming the changes into social norms. Those challenges had been further heightened by the fact that Maldivian democracy was “growing up” under the international spotlight. 27. While the Government appreciated the well-meaning and well-intended commentaries and the valuable advice, it called upon States to not only criticize but also to invest in bringing about meaningful change. Meaningful democratic change could not be imposed and could only be sustained if change was locally owned, locally driven and locally shaped. It was also important to let democratic institutions have the space and the independence to grow organically. B. Interactive dialogue and responses by the State under review 28. During the interactive dialogue, 102 delegations made statements. Recommendations made during the dialogue can be found in section II of the present report. 29. Mauritius welcomed achievements in education, health and housing, the new Ministry of Law and Gender and the law against domestic violence. 30. Mexico recognized the cooperation of Maldives with human rights mechanisms and hoped for the strengthening of the independence of the Human Rights Commission and actions addressing drug abuse. 31. Montenegro commended efforts to combat child, early and forced marriages and trafficking, and asked about measures to combat corporal punishment. 32. Morocco appreciated improved access to education, housing and health care and welcomed measures for the empowerment of women. 33. Namibia acknowledged challenges facing Maldives owing to the dispersal of the population over a vast geographic area and admired the advancement to developing country status. 34. Nepal noted remarkable progress in development, including in curbing infant and maternal mortality, and the challenges of religious extremism and high drug abuse. 35. Netherlands appreciated positive amendments to key legislation but was concerned that many recommendations from the first universal periodic review remained to be implemented. 36. New Zealand was concerned about recent trends in relation to freedom of expression, fair trials and the independence of the judiciary. 37. Nicaragua noted improvements made to universal access to rights to education, health, housing and justice, especially for vulnerable groups. 6