I. continue to strengthen domestic laws with respect to human trafficking; and II. ratify the 2000 Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. Religious Discrimination and the Right to a Nationality 19. The legal framework for nationality in the Maldives can be found in the Constitution of the Republic of Maldives (Constitution). The Constitution was ratified in 2008, establishing democracy with the separation of the three powers: the executive, legislature and judiciary.16 20. The Constitution contains a provision that all Maldivians should be Muslims, therefore imposing a citizenship criteria that is discriminatory on the basis of religion and excluding non-Muslims from obtaining citizenship. Section 9 of the Constitution states: (a) The Following persons are citizens of the Maldives: 1 2 3 Citizens of the Maldives at the commencement of this Constitution; Children born to a citizen of the Maldives; and Foreigners who, in accordance with the law, become citizens of the Maldives. (b) No citizen of the Maldives may be deprived of citizenship. (c) Any person who wishes to relinquish his citizenship may do so in accordance with law. (d) Despite the provisions of article (a) a non-Muslim may not become a citizen of the Maldives. 21. The retention of such a Constitutional provision undermines the right to a nationality and is contrary to principles of international law, which prohibits discrimination in relation to the right to a nationality (see for example, Article 7 of the CRC, when read in combination with Article 2 of the CRC). Displacement: Climate Change & Natural Disasters 22. Climate change poses a substantial threat to people living in low lying areas likely to be impacted by rising sea levels, with livelihood and ability to inhabit certain regions under siege. There is a noted possibility of forced displacement as a result of climate change, and this factor carries a heightened risk of statelessness. 23. The Republic of the Maldives is an archipelago of 1,192 coral islands, forming 26 atolls. Of the 16 The Commonwealth, Maldives: Constitution and Politics,< http://thecommonwealth.org/our-membercountries/maldives/constitution-politics>. 5