Human rights and those who defend them must be at the forefront of the COP28 summit which runs from 30 November until 12 December in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.

“There have been too many occasions in the past where decisions have been made without representation of those who are most impacted by them,” she added. “I urge authorities in the UAE to ensure that human rights defenders representing the rights of the most marginalised and most at risk from the climate crisis are meaningfully involved in the negotiations next week.”...

Lawlor said it was essential that people be permitted to voice their concerns or criticisms of the human rights impacts both of climate change and measures designed to mitigate climate change, which ignore the effects on rights holders...

Lawlor said it was essential that human rights defenders and civil society are permitted to play a full role in COP28. For this to happen however, the expert noted that the UAE would need to rescind restrictive legislation it has in place which limits the space for freedom of expression, association and assembly in the country...

“I urge the UAE to use its moment in the global spotlight to show that it respects human rights,” Lawlor said. She said the UAE could send a strong signal immediately by releasing human rights defenders in its prisons who have already served their full sentences.

“As this year is the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 25th Anniversary of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, it would be fitting.”