The European Union and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) held their 12^th Human Rights Dialogue in Brussels on 16 January, in an amicable and constructive atmosphere.

The two sides exchanged on the latest developments on human rights issues, in the EU and the UAE, with the aim to share experiences and best practices to address common challenges. They also explored possibilities for further cooperation in international human rights fora, in particular in the framework of the Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly 3^rd Committee.

The discussion touched upon a wide range of topics, such as freedom of expression; freedom of assembly and association; digital technology and human rights, including artificial intelligence; the rule of law, including the right to fair trial and the death penalty; labour rights; as well as women’s rights and gender equality.

The EU commended the continuous legal and socio-economic reforms in the UAE during the last couple of years, notably on climate and sustainable development, women’s empowerment, gender equality, economic and political inclusion, highlighting the Emirati efforts to promote inter-faith dialogue and peaceful coexistence.

The European Union encouraged the UAE to continue with a further alignment of their legislation with international human rights law, particularly, in regard to rule of law and civil and political rights, including freedom of expression, assembly and association. The EU also called on the UAE to accelerate the process of ratification of core international human rights covenants.

As a concrete deliverable of the Dialogue, the two sides agreed to intensify their cooperation on the specific fields of women’s rights and human rights and technology.

The next EU-UAE Human Rights Dialogue was agreed to take place in the United Arab Emirates in 2025.