Most recently there has been a global focus on the UAE with the holding of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in December 2023; yet in the lead up to COP28, despite the whole world watching, the Government refused to undertake any meaningful reforms. [...] The Australian Union movement is deeply concerned that negotiating a trade agreement with the UAE sends the signal of Australia legitimising and incentivising continued violations of labour and human rights. [...] However, as a 2023 US State Department report on the human rights practices in the UAE notes, “the threat of deportation discouraged noncitizens from expressing work-related grievances”.3 Human rights violations In addition to widespread abuses of workers’ rights, there is widespread abuse of human rights, including systemic discrimination against women in the UAE, and the criminalisation of homos. [...] The Code of Crimes and Punishments criminalises free expression and assembly, and the Law on Combating Rumours and Cybercrimes which came into effect in 2022 imposes up to three years imprisonment on anyone who uses the internet to encourage a demonstration without prior permission from the government.4 The Government also criminalises dissent and actions to defend human rights -- at least 64 Emir. [...] The UAE’s climate policies and commitments are not consistent with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C temperature limit, and lead to rising rather than decreasing emissions, even taking into account the recently announced net- zero ambitions of the UAE.6 The UAE has been criticised7 for ‘externalising climate risks to migrant workers’, who are disproportionately exposed to extreme heat and inadequate pro.
Authors
- Pages
- 8
- Published in
- Australia
