Amnesty International and over 200 civil society organizations have urged governments participating in the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to address the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) human rights record and climate policies. COP28, an annual global conference to discuss climate policies, is scheduled to run from November 30 through December 12.
The civil society groups’ public statement stresses the interconnectedness of climate justice and human rights, and urges governments to use the COP28 platform to shed light on the UAE’s alleged human rights violations, which include:
- The use of spyware and surveillance technologies violating privacy rights;
- The imprisonment of Emirati human rights defenders, activists, and political dissidents;
- Enactment of laws discriminating against women;
- Enactment of laws criminalizing LGBTQ+ individuals;
- Lack of protections for migrant construction workers at the COP28 facilities site; and
- Abuses by armed groups in Yemen, Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia.
While the UAE has denied these allegations, stating that it will allow all COP28 visitors to protest peacefully, concerns persist. In August, Human Rights Watch (HRW) published another joint statement with similar demands, highlighting the indefinite detention of at least 58 activists based on a vague and broad definition of terrorism under UAE law. The Palestinian BDS National Committee has subsequently called for a boycott of the COP28 to pressure the UAE government.
In addition to human rights concerns, the statement points to the UAE’s greenwashing tactics and plans to increase state oil and gas production significantly. The COP28’s president, Sultan al-Jaber, who is also CEO of the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, has been a point of controversy. Members from the US Congress and the EU Parliament have written to their corresponding heads of state urging them to advocate for the Sultan’s withdrawal.
Read the full coverage for more information.