Climate event in the Emirates vetoes criticism of corporations – 04/04/2023 – Environment

Speakers at a climate and health conference in March in the United Arab Emirates, which will host the UN’s COP28 climate summit later this year, were instructed not to protest or “criticize corporations”, in a warning that cited Gulf state laws. and alarmed activists.

Organizers advised attendees of last month’s Forecasting Healthy Futures event in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the Emirates and its richest member, to “be aware of and respect UAE law”, and warned: “Do not criticize the Islam, the government, corporations or individuals of the UAE” and “do not protest”.

The written guidance, seen by the Financial Times, added: “We understand that climate change can be a controversial subject and we welcome all perspectives and opinions in civil discourse across the programme’s agenda. Protesting is illegal in the UAE, and in any case of disruptive protest will be resolved by local authorities”.

Climate activists said the restrictions on freedom of expression raise further questions about the suitability of the oil-rich UAE to host the annual UN climate summit, which will take place in November and December. Leading scientists have warned of a “quick-closing window” to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

“This is deeply concerning,” said Collin Rees of the US climate group Oil Change International. “The language adopted here cannot be acceptable in the climate negotiations. There must be strong resistance to this, and the UN must provide as strong a place as possible for the next COP.”

Large protests are often organized during the annual weather event. About 100 thousand people took to the streets of Glasgow (Scotland) in a single day when the United Kingdom hosted the COP26. Civil society groups critical of fossil fuel companies attend the summit in large numbers.

The conference on health in the context of climate change was organized by Forecasting Healthy Futures (FHF), a group of health and technology organizations brought together by Malaria No More.

According to the event’s website, seed funding for the FHF was provided by Reaching the Last Mile, a public health and development group linked to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

Forecasting Healthy Futures said the group had not received “guidance” from Reaching the Last Mile “or any other Emirati individual or institution”.

He added: “In the interest of protecting panelists and speakers from any actual or perceived breach of UAE law, and given the expected online coverage of the event, with the potential for misquotes or misrepresentation, we have erred on the side of caution. by independently issuing guidance covering the broader interpretation of the UAE penal code on defamation”.

Majid al-Suwaidi, director general of COP28, delivered a keynote speech at the FHF conference, touting the upcoming summit as one that will take an “inclusive” approach to tackling climate change.

Lise Masson, director of climate justice and energy advocacy at Friends of the Earth International, said COP conferences had long suffered from “corporate capture”. “We are preparing for this COP to be an extreme and intense version of something that is not new,” she said.

Cherelle Blazer, senior director of the Sierra Club, a US climate group, said it was “of vital importance” that members of civil society groups attend the COP, despite it taking place in “a location hostile to protests”.

The host country is already under scrutiny due to the nomination of Sultan al-Jaber, head of Abu Dhabi state oil company Adnoc, as the COP28 chairman.

Last year’s COP summit in Egypt ended in disappointment for many as fossil fuel producing countries, including Saudi Arabia, blocked pressure from others to include in the final agreement a pledge to phase out all fossil fuels.

A spokesperson for the UAE COP28 said the conference “will take an inclusive approach, involving all stakeholders from the public and private sectors, civil society, the scientific community, women and youth” and “welcome inclusive dialogues and constructive processes that facilitate consensus building to promote ambitious climate outcomes”.

They said organizers would ensure “that there are safe spaces where all voices can be heard”.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which oversees the summit, said the COP site would be an “extraterritorial space” administered by the UN.

“The meaningful participation of all actors in society in the UNFCCC process and in the annual Conference of the Parties (COP) is an indispensable ingredient for the success of these events”, he stated.