Fourth Cycle UPR Overview During the fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR) cycle of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), numerous recommendations were made by states urging human rights reforms across various thematic areas, especially freedom of expression, death penalty, torture, independence of the judiciary and fair trial. In total, 323 recommendations were presented to the State[…]
27
May
May
Summary The United Arab Emirates is the country with the highest proportion of international migrants in the world. Labour migration in the kingdom is governed by a restrictive and abusive system, named kafala, that causes numerous and well-documented abuses. This briefing paper contextualizes the kafala system in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the[…]
08
May
May
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has invested deeply into portraying itself as a progressive, tolerant and human rights-compliant state. This strategy, however, as in other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, clashes with a reality in which activists and dissidents are detained and tried for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and association. The recent[…]
16
Feb
Feb
The hosting of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) by the United Arab Emirates for two weeks in late 2023 failed to reach strong and binding agreements, coupled with continued support for the expansion of the fossil fuel sector. This highlights the mistake committed by the UN in granting countries with poor human rights[…]
17
Jan
Jan
The Emirati authorities’ commencement of a mass trial involving over 80 Emiratis, including prominent human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience, has sent shockwaves globally. The trial coinciding with COP28, billed as the ‘most inclusive COP ever,’ reflects the UAE’s blatant disregard for human rights and its unwillingness to address the dire state of rights[…]
