200+ Organizations Call on Governments to Address UAE Human Rights Abuses Ahead of COP28 Climate Negotiations

A coalition of over 200 civil society organizations has issued a formal call to governments attending COP28, arguing that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is an unsuitable host due to systemic human rights violations and a conflict of interest involving the COP28 president. The letter demands that the UAE end unlawful surveillance, release prisoners of conscience, and abolish the Kafala system. It specifically highlights abuses of migrant workers at Expo City Dubai and the UAE's role in regional conflicts in Yemen and Libya. Furthermore, the organizations condemn the UAE's 'greenwashing' and the dual role of Sultan al-Jaber as both COP28 president and CEO of the state oil company ADNOC, calling for a global commitment to phase out all fossil fuels to maintain the 1.5C temperature goal.

• The coalition argues that the legitimacy of COP28 is compromised because it is hosted by a "repressive petrostate" and overseen by an oil executive, which they describe as a "blatant conflict of interest".
• The UAE is accused of operating as a "surveillance state", utilizing technology and apps like ToTok to spy on millions of people, including journalists and human rights defenders such as Ahmed Mansoor and Tawokkol Karman.
• The document calls for the release of the "UAE94", a group of over 60 Emirati human rights defenders and dissidents, noting that more than three-quarters remain imprisoned despite some completing their sentences.
• The letter demands reparations for migrant workers at Expo City Dubai, the site of COP28, alleging that the "majority of Expo 2020 Dubai workers interviewed faced forced labour practices".
• The UAE is urged to cease supporting human rights violations in the Middle East and North Africa, specifically calling for reparations for victims of the Saudi/UAE-led war and blockade in Yemen and an end to arms supplies to Libya in violation of a UN Security Council embargo.
• The organizations condemn the appointment of Sultan al-Jaber as COP28 president while he remains CEO of the state oil company ADNOC, labeling this as "fossil fuel hypocrisy".
• The coalition demands a global commitment at COP28 to phase out all fossil fuels and subsidies to keep global average temperature increases below 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

APA

Trend Asia (2023). 200+ Organizations Call on Governments to Address UAE Human Rights Abuses Ahead of COP28 Climate Negotiations. https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Letter-to-COP28.pdf

Chicago

Trend Asia. 200+ Organizations Call on Governments to Address UAE Human Rights Abuses Ahead of COP28 Climate Negotiations. 2023. https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Letter-to-COP28.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Trend Asia |title=200+ Organizations Call on Governments to Address UAE Human Rights Abuses Ahead of COP28 Climate Negotiations |date=13 September 2023 |url=https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Letter-to-COP28.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{trendasia2023200, author = {{Trend Asia}}, title = {{200+ Organizations Call on Governments to Address UAE Human Rights Abuses Ahead of COP28 Climate Negotiations}}, publisher = {Trend Asia}, year = {2023}, month = sep, url = {https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Letter-to-COP28.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }