Human rights researchers from banned organisations have been granted access to the federation of seven sheikhdoms, but some say it is using Cop28 to burnish its image and does not really respect rights.
Participants at the United Nations’ Cop28 climate talks Sunday found themselves greeted by the rarest sights in the United Arab Emirates – public protests.
From the largest demonstration seen in the UAE since the start of the raging Israel-Gaza war to environmental issues, activists allowed into the UAE can protest under strict guidelines in this autocratic nation inside the summit.
Meanwhile, human rights researchers from organisations long banned by the country also have been let in, providing them some the opportunity for the first time in about a decade to offer criticism, although many acknowledge it may see them never allowed back in the country.
“One of our major issues with Cop28 is the fact that the UAE government is using this to burnish its image internationally and the fact that limited protests are allowed … is a good thing,” said Joey Shea, on her first trip to the Emirates as a researcher focused on the country at Human Rights Watch.
“But at the end of the day, it helps to create this very false image that the UAE does have respect for rights when in fact it does not.”
The UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms led by Abu Dhabi’s ruler, bans political parties and labour unions. All power rests in each emirate’s hereditary ruler. Broad laws tightly restrict speech and nearly all major local media are either state-owned or state-affiliated outlets.
Laws also criminalise the very few protests that take place by foreign labourers. The Emirates’ overall population of more than 9.2 million people is only 10 per cent Emirati. The rest are expatriates, many of them low-paid labourers seeking to send money back home to their families.
Many avoid saying anything as they see their livelihoods at risk for speaking up as their visas and residencies remain tied to their employers. The UAE’s diplomatic ties to Israel, reached in 2020, also make protesting on behalf of the Palestinians that much more fraught.
