Cop28 officials fail to clarify if protesters are safe to protest in Dubai

Demonstrations within the venue will be allowed in designated areas, with one managed by the UN and another administered by the Emirati authorities. Photograph: Joshua A Bickel/AP

Cop28 organisers and the UN body that oversees the annual climate conference have failed to clarify whether activists in Dubai are safe to demonstrate outside the conference area, putting civil society at risk in a country where protest is normally prohibited.

At least 80,000 people are registered to attend the conference, including thousands of activists and members of civil society, who normally hold protests around the conference area.