A/HRC/16/7 and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It congratulated Maldives on becoming a member of ILO and noted the process of becoming a party to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. Sri Lanka also recognized the progress made in combating narcotics trafficking and consumption. Sri Lanka made a recommendation. 47. Cuba congratulated Maldives on the achievement of Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5. It also referred to progress made in the areas of infant mortality and life expectancy, health care and vulnerable groups. Cuba made recommendations. 48. Qatar noted that the national report addressed many of the achievements, challenges and difficulties faced by Maldives in the field of human rights. Qatar noted with satisfaction the democratic transformation since the adoption of the 2008 Constitution, which enshrined fundamental rights and freedoms. Qatar made recommendations. 49. Maldives stated that housing, particularly in Malé, was one of the greatest challenges facing it. In addition, one of the Government’s key pledges was to ensure affordable housing in the capital. A number of programmes had been launched to make Malé less congested and to provide better housing, including some social housing. The Government aimed to reduce rents in the capital to an affordable level through a mix of subsidies for poor families. It was also encouraging investments in the atolls so that urban congestion could be reduced. Thus, the Government was trying to decentralize development very vigorously. 50. The issue of climate change and human rights was a very difficult and important one for Maldives. A number of communities were facing severe beach erosion, and many were facing physical dangers. The Government planned to ensure shore protection so that communities on those islands could be protected from encroachments of the sea. The Government was also investing in other utilities, such as water, so that environmental deterioration would not affect the enjoyment of human rights. No consideration was being given to any forced transfer of the population to other islands. 51. Maldives had been able to make good progress in the health sector, working with WHO and the donor community. It had been able to reach out to all communities in the country through multiple-tier networks of health-care providers, from family health workers to central-level medical facilities. 52. The new 2008 Constitution had heralded a new legal system for the country, with a modern charter of rights and a new configuration for the judiciary. Efforts had been made by the Government to create an independent judiciary. It had established a permanent bench of the Supreme Court under the new Constitution. In addition, the enactment of the Judges Act and the Judicature Act was aimed at making the judiciary more professional and accountable. 53. Maldives had embarked on a new reform agenda, and the entire structure of the legal system was being reviewed and revised. Until 2010, there had been no criminal procedure or civil procedure codes. The judiciary and the legal system had been functioning in an ad hoc manner, relying on Shariah jurisprudence to a great extent. The delegation noted that the Government had initiated a programme of legislative reforms, and that the legislative agenda prioritized the formulation of a criminal procedure code that would give effect to proper legal reforms whereby the criminal legal system would be up to date and provide remedies and procedural matters that were contemporary and accepted as standards in modern constitutions. Those legislative measures would come into effect with a view to enhancing and integrating both Shariah and common law principles into the formal legal system. 8