United Arab Emirates Country Profile

Private Anti-Corruption Initiatives

  • Media: Freedom of expression is granted by the constitution, but in practice this right is restricted by the government, as reported by the US Department of State 2008. Journalists face defamation charges in case of publication of defamatory or negative materials about the government, among others. As a welcome development, the Prime Minister issued a more lenient decree in 2007 according to which journalists would not face prison for their work. This decree was however not approved by the government and a new law is under scrutiny which would reintroduce prison sentences for journalists criticising the government or the country's economic situation. As reported by the UNDP Programme of Governance in the Arab Region and an October 2008 article, media producing news for people residing outside the UAE face less restrictions than those in the rest of the country. Moreover, all publications, both foreign and national have to be licensed by the Ministry of Information and Culture before being distributed. The government applies censorship to print and broadcast media and the Internet according to Freedom House 2009, but the UNDP Programme reports that international broadcasts can be received and viewed without apparent censorship. Academic freedom is also limited according to Freedom House 2009. The UAE is ranked as 86th out of 175 countries on the  Reporters Without Borders 2009, while the Freedom House 2009 ranks UAE 153rd out of 195 countries in relation to press freedom.

  • Civil Society: The government places limits on freedom of assembly and association. The US Department of State 2008 in fact reports that public meetings for political purposes are forbidden, but also that the government in practice does not interfere with non-political meetings unless the crowd becomes violent. Civil society organisations (CSOs) have to register with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and thereafter can apply for subsidies from the government. CSOs are generally not allowed to focus on political issues, nor can foreign NGOs have a base in the country. However, the government allows for limited visits of their representatives and international organisations addressing human rights issues are welcome in the country and the government collaborates with them. According to the UNDP Programme of Governance in the Arab Region no civil organisation working with anti-corruption is active in the UAE. CSOs have to follow government's censorship policy and are not allowed to publish any material without prior government approval, as described under the 'Media' section above.

  • Arab Center for Development of the Rule of Law and Integrity (ACRLI): The ACRLI is a regional non-profit NGO with its headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, and affiliated offices in several Arab countries. The ACRLI is committed to the study of legal and social aspects that have an influence on good governance and can rely on its members' high degree of expertise in the legal and information technology field. The ACRLI publishes reports focusing on issues like the state of commercial law or the modernisation of public prosecutor offices in a number of Arab countries.

  • Gulf Research Center (GRC): The GRC is an independent research centre situated in Dubai. The GRC aims at producing high quality academic studies on political, social and economic issues relevant to the Gulf region and disseminating this knowledge to the public, corporate enterprises and governmental decision-makers.