Day: August 7, 2023

The United Arab Emirates has said that it will permit environmentalists to freely assemble and “make their voices heard” at this year’s UN climate conference.

In an agreement with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that was released on Tuesday, the announcement was made.
According to the statement, “there will be space accessible to climate activists to come together peacefully and make their voices heard in accordance with UNFCCC guidelines and respect to international standards and principles.”

In the oil-rich Gulf nation, which will host COP28 in the commercial center of Dubai from November to December, official approval is needed for rallies, although the government virtually forbids protests they deem disruptive.

The bilateral agreement that establishes the framework for planning and hosting the climate talks was signed by UNFCCC Executive Director Simon Stiell and COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber after the issuance of the joint statement.

We are steadfastly dedicated to making sure that UN values are preserved at COPs in order to advance climate action and ambition, Stiell said.
The views of youth, women, local communities, people of Indigenous descent, and those who are most affected by climate change will be acknowledged and reflected in this COP process, we are also making all possible efforts to ensure.

A contentious decision
The UAE ranks among the top emitters of CO2 per person in the world and is a significant producer of oil.

Environmental organizations have criticized the decision to have it host COP28 because they believe that having an oil exporter participate could impede the progress being made in the fight over global warming.

Activists expressed outrage over the appointment of Al-Jaber, the CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., to lead the negotiations and raised the concern of a conflict of interest.Al-Jaber has also come under fire for ignoring the need to phase out the usage of fossil fuels in favor of concentrating on initiatives to lower emissions.
Antonio Guterres, the secretary-general of the UN, issued a warning in June urging nations to begin phase-outs of coal, oil, and gas.

“Fossil fuel emissions are only one aspect of the issue. It’s fossil fuels, plain and simple,” Guterres told the media.

Human Rights Watch and other non-governmental organizations have also issued warnings that the Gulf state’s limits on free speech could prevent climate campaigners from actively participating.

The decision to hold the conference in the UAE was questioned in May by a number of human and environmental rights organizations, who expressed concern that “severe limitations enforced by the authorities in the UAE in recent years will impede the full meaningful involvement of journalists, activists, human rights opponents, civil society, youth groups, and indigenous peoples’ representatives at COP28.”

Most previous COPs have seen sizable protests, and during the most recent UN climate negotiations in Egypt, where governments frequently crack down on protesters and arrest activists, only small marches were permitted.

In Egypt, authorized protests could only take place in a designated area that was heavily guarded and only during particular hours.

50 trips each week will be made by boat, and tickets start at Dh15.
After being forced to stop during the Covid-19 outbreak, the boat service connecting Dubai and Sharjah is now operating once more.

Seven days a week, the service is run from Al Ghubaiba Marine Station in Dubai and Aquarium Marine Station in Sharjah by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority.

The distance between the two stations can be traveled in around 35 minutes.

Single-trip tickets in the Silver Class and Gold Class are priced at Dh15 and Dh25, respectively; however, passengers with disabilities and kids below the age of five go for free.

Travelers have hailed the return of the service, which gives customers the opportunity to bypass gridlock on congested Dubai-Sharjah routes.

On Saturday, Nikhil SP, 36, an Indian sales and marketing employee at the Sharjah Occidental Hotel, boarded the ship for the first time.

His coworkers who had previously utilized the service suggested it to him.

He told The National, “Normally I take the car, but since they restarted the operation I thought why not take it instead.”

This is my first time, but I believe it’s a choice I might make more frequently going forward because it’s simpler, more enjoyable, and prevents delays and traffic jams.

Before the boat service was discontinued, George Mathew, a 37-year-old Indian, was a frequent user.

Although he lives in Sharjah and has the majority of his pals there, he frequently takes the ferry to see them.

Every weekend, I used to take it to go meet up with my pals, Mr. George recalled.

“When my wife visited Dubai before the pandemic, we used to take it every time we wanted to go sightseeing there.”

He claimed that Sharjah people will find the service to be highly useful.

It brings travelers right to the center of Dubai, where they can use any other form of public transportation.

Operating hours There will be 50 journeys on the Dubai-Sharjah ferry each week, with eight excursions per day from Monday through Thursday and six trips per day from Friday through Sunday.

There will be two morning departures from Sharjah at 7am and 8.30am, as well as one morning departure from Dubai at 7.45am, from Monday through Thursday.

There will be three trips from Dubai at 4 pm, 5.30 pm, and 7 pm in the evening, along with two trips from Sharjah at 4.45 pm and 6.15 pm.

There will be three trips each way starting at noon on Friday through Sunday. There will be extra departure times from Sharjah at 2pm, 4pm, and 6pm, and from Dubai at 3pm, 5pm, and 8pm.

To aid Chad’s efforts to combat terrorism and strengthen border security, the UAE has donated a convoy of military vehicles and security gear.

Delivering the supplies to Lt Gen Daoud Yahya Brahim, Chad’s Minister of Defense, along with the commanders of the army and reserve forces and other senior military figures, was Rashid Al Shamsi, the UAE ambassador to Chad.

Mr. Brahim commended the UAE for its ongoing assistance, saying that it will help the region achieve peace and stability again. According to him, military cooperation is crucial to increasing security and attempts to overcome obstacles.

The initiative fits within the context of the close ties that exist between the UAE and Chad on many levels, which have led to the signing of a number of bilateral agreements, which includes a military cooperation agreement in June during Mahamat Idriss Deby, the chairman of the Transitional Military Council of Chad,’s official visit to Abu Dhabi.
The UAE has given food and humanitarian aid to Sudanese refugees in Chad who have fled their war-torn country. Additionally, Amdjarass received a field hospital.

Since April 15, when violence among the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces broken out in Khartoum, the UN estimates that more than 300,000 people have fled from Darfur to Chad.

Since the beginning of the crisis, the UAE has run an air and sea bridge to the area, delivering approximately 2,000 tonnes of food, medicine, and aid to Port Sudan and Chad.