Reacting to reports that the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as host of the COP28 climate meeting which begins in Dubai in November, has defined a narrow list of talking points for its officials around climate issues and is aiming to avoid discussion of human rights abuses in the country, Marta Schaaf, Amnesty International’s Director of...
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has the second highest prevalence in the Arab States region, and the seventh highest prevalence in the Global Slavery Index. Migrant workers in the UAE are particularly vulnerable under the kafala (sponsorship) system, a restrictive work permit system that ties migrant workers to their employer.1 The system embeds a steep power...
Responding to a pledge by the hosts of the COP28 climate meeting to make ‘space available for climate activists to assemble peacefully and make their voices heard’, Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said: “The fact that the hosts of this crucial climate meeting felt the need to...
A comprehensive list of “touchy and sensitive issues” for the United Arab Emirates, which is running the next UN climate summit, has been revealed in a document leaked to the Guardian. The document sets out the government-approved “strategic messages” to be used in response to media requests about the issues, which range from the UAE’s increasing...
COP28 is expected to be full of contradictions. And this new declaration by the Emirati organizers is not going to change that. The United Arab Emirates certified on Tuesday, August 1st, that they will allow environmental defenders to “peacefully gather” at the UN climate conference, organized in November in Dubai. However, unauthorized demonstrations are formally...
“Detention in horrific conditions, torture, deportation [and a] criminal conviction.” These are the risks climate activists could face if they protest at COP28, the international climate conference to be hosted by the United Arab Emirates in December, says human rights lawyer Ben Keith. Keith, who qualified as a UK barrister in 2004, focuses on a...
The curtailing of legal migration pathways to Europe can play a role in human trafficking operations in countries far away from the bloc. InfoMigrants talked to several experts to examine the cross-country impact of stricter EU border policy. Europe has long ranked as one of the top destinations for economic migrants from Africa looking for...
As the global climate emergency intensifies, the question arises: Can Africa pursue economic development without relying on fossil fuels? While many African countries heavily depend on oil and gas exports, the continent experiences the harshest impacts of climate change despite contributing only 3% of global CO2 emissions. The need for decarbonization is evident, with South...
Ryan Centner overcame significant challenges to investigate how Western gay men living in Dubai use their economic, social and cultural privileges to create communities where they can meet and socialise. Homosexuality is illegal in Dubai, so gay men technically risk deportation, imprisonment and even the death penalty. How can a sense of belonging be forged...
Chinese Overseas Police Service Stations are known to be present in Israel and the UAE. However, their specific locations, functions, and extent are shrouded in secrecy. China’s footprint in the Middle East has grown significantly over the past two decades. The region has become central to China’s foreign policy within the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)...