Meanwhile, the UAE opted out of environmental commitments in the FTA altogether, leaving those discussions to separate bilateral talks.
Human and labor rights campaigners
Campaigners have long raised concerns about the Gulf states’ human rights record, with organizations including the Trade Justice Movement, Amnesty International UK, Human Rights Watch urging the prime minister in a joint letter last year to incorporate “strong human rights conditions” before the deal is signed.
Reacting to the details of the deal released on Wednesday, the Trade Justice Movement said it “looks to be silent” on human and labor rights “in return for minimal economic benefit.”
“By failing to negotiate any enforceable human rights protections within the deal, the U.K. has taken a moral step backwards and undermined the government’s own commitments on democracy, women’s rights and workers’ rights,” said Trade Justice Movement Director Tom Wills.
The government has contested that trade agreements are not the forum to directly address human rights issues, while arguing that the deal contains provisions that can contribute to the protection and promotion of human rights.
In its summary of the deal, the government said the text includes commitments that “go further than anything GCC countries have agreed before” in areas like anti-corruption and consumer protection. It added that the agreement affirms International Labour Organisation commitments as well as pledges on non-derogation and the enforcement of labor laws. However, it noted that the UAE has not agreed to any labor commitment.
The deal also “breaks new ground on women’s economic empowerment, with provisions to support women as entrepreneurs, business leaders, and participants in international trade,” the government said.