46. A regime where the right to nationality, even by operation of law, can be limited without a safeguard against statelessness raises serious concerns about citizens’ ability to express dissent or question their Government. 47. Furthermore, gender discrimination in the nationality law, which denies women the right to confer nationality on their child or spouse on an equal basis with men, undermines women’s status as equal citizens and their equality in the family, and is also linked with gender-based violence.76 Recommendations 48. Based on the above information, the co-submitting organisations urge reviewing States to make the following recommendations to the United Arab Emirates: I. Amend the Citizenship Law to enable Emirati women to confer nationality on their children without restriction and on their noncitizens spouse, on an equal basis to men. Ensure that this is completed without delay, in accordance with international standards. II. Remove the UAE’s reservation to and ensure full compliance with Article 9 CEDAW and Article 7 CRC. III. Reform the Federal Law No. 17 of 1972 Concerning Nationality & Passports and bring it line with international and regional standards,77 by ensuring that: a. b. c. d. e. IV. It aligns with Article 8 of the UAE’s Constitution, and in particular, prohibits any deprivation of nationality that is disproportionate, discriminatory, indiscriminate and arbitrary, including by resulting in statelessness. Safeguards against statelessness apply in all cases of deprivation of nationality; The decision to deprive a citizen of nationality is in all cases the result of an independent judicial proceeding, where all due process rights are guaranteed, including the right to appeal and constitutional review; Deprivation of nationality may nofpt be incurred automatically (ex lege) based on a specific criminal conviction, without due consideration of the proportionality of deprivation of nationality as a penalty; The penalty of deprivation of nationality is never automatically extended to the family members of those who are stripped of their nationality. Restore individuals’ nationality that has been stripped by UAE ’s authorities, together with the full rights associated with citizenship. 76 Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights, The Impact of Gender Discrimination in Nationality Laws on Gender-Based Violence, available at: https://equalnationalityrights.org/images/zdocs/Impact-of-Gender-Discrimination-in-Nationality-Lawson-Gender-Based-Violence.pdf. 77 League of Arab States, Regional Toolkit on Nationality Legislation, (May 2021). 12