New Scandal: 7 UAE-Funded Organizations Added to Blacklist for Misinformation

In a recent scandal involving the UAE, the international NGO Report for Transparency has placed seven organizations funded by Abu Dhabi on its blacklist of directed and opaque institutions due to their involvement in misinformation and incitement.
The Geneva-based organization announced that these Emirati-funded groups were blacklisted for financing misleading reports concerning the state of human rights.
It’s worth noting that the NGO Report is an independent body focused on ensuring accountability and transparency in international human rights reporting, which led to its decision to blacklist these seven organizations.
This action follows evidence suggesting that these entities have received financial support from the UAE and have repeatedly misrepresented the human rights situation in the country.
The organizations identified include:

1. International Council for Diplomacy and Dialogue – led by Dr. Eric Gozlan
2. CAP LC (Associations and Groups Concerned with Action for Conscience) – represented by Dr. Christine Meri
3. The European Association for the Defense of Minorities – represented by Dr. Manal Masalami
4. Global Council for Public Diplomacy and Community Dialogue – led by Andy Vermaut
5. International Movement for Peace and Coexistence (IMPAC), Belgium – represented by Nigel Goodlich
6. Arab-European Forum for Dialogue and Human Rights – led by Counselor Ayman Nasri
7. Arab Federation for Human Rights – led by Counselor Issa Al-Arabi
According to the NGO Report Database for Transparency, these organizations have failed to uphold impartiality in their reporting and have acted in ways that contradict the core principles of transparency and objectivity essential to human rights work. The decision to blacklist them stems from concerns that their reports on the UAE’s human rights record have been swayed by financial backing, resulting in biased and politically motivated conclusions.
A spokesperson for the NGO stated: “Our mission is to ensure that human rights reports are based on truth and transparency. We hold accountable those who allow financial interests to distort their evaluations. The organizations we have blacklisted have compromised the integrity of human rights advocacy by failing to produce accurate reports on the situation in the United Arab Emirates.”
This decision is in response to findings from the recent Universal Periodic Review session in Geneva, where the UAE’s human rights policies were discussed.
Despite the UAE’s initiatives in counter-terrorism, promoting tolerance, and environmental sustainability, these organizations were found to have downplayed these efforts and presented misleading narratives that align with the interests of their financial backers.
The organization stated that the decision to blacklist these entities is not only based on their position towards the UAE but also on a broader pattern of behavior that raises concerns about their integrity.
It underscored that transparency is a fundamental principle of human rights work, and when organizations hide their funding sources and allow these influences to shape their reports, they undermine the very foundation of human rights advocacy.
The organization added, “This blacklist is a crucial step to ensure that international human rights mechanisms remain free from political and financial biases. We urge all human rights organizations to adhere to the highest standards of transparency and will continue to monitor the situation closely.”
It called on the seven organizations now on the blacklist to disclose their funding sources and show their commitment to providing accurate and impartial assessments of human rights conditions, stressing that failure to do so could diminish their credibility within the international community.