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This submission speaks to the need to protect labour rights and eliminate discrimination faced by migrant workers employed on vital climate-related infrastructure projects, such as renewable energy—especially vulnerable migrant worker communities who are compelled to migrate to the due to climate-related disasters in their home countries.  

The submission is based upon an in-depth investigation conducted by Equidem into the human and labour rights violations facing climate impacted and other migrant workers from Asia and Africa employed in the renewables sector in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This research was conducted between February and November 2023 and included the perspectives of 48 migrant workersii.  

The rights violations documented in this submission take place against a backdrop of racially delineated exclusion from labour rights protections, denial of freedom of association, and authoritarian suppression of dissent in the UAE. The absence of key labour protections and inadequate enforcement of laws in the UAE results in serious labour exploitation and hinders access to justice for migrant workers. These issues are rooted in the lack of democratic power for workers and is reflected in other human rights issues including the targeting of rights activists, restrictions on freedom of expression, the enactment of repressive laws, the abuse of the criminal justice system, and the mistreatment of women and LGBTQI communities. Our data and analysis relate to the experience of workers travelling from Asia and Africa to the UAE. However, our submission has broader relevance with regard to the intersection between worker rights and climate change and the right to information.

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