The United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday, July 31, that it would allow environmental activists "to gather peacefully"  on the UN climate conference (COP28)  in Dubai  later this year, despite a ban on unsanctioned protests in the Gulf state. Emirates, which will host COP28 from November 30 to December 12 in Dubai's CBD, requires official permission for protests but bans those it deems disruptive. At COP28 "There will be space available for climate activists to meet peacefully and express their views" ,” the UAE government said in a joint statement with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), carried by the country’s official WAM news agency.