Diamonds Show Flaws In Civil Society Approach To The Gulf

(The Huffington Post) – As Qatar, the UAE and other Gulf countries engage in greater depth with the international community and achieve milestones in that engagement, they will come under increased scrutiny from international NGOs. The region’s governments are now more confident. The result is a willingness to adopt a higher profile on the world stage. These same governments, accustomed to a compliant civil society, have proven ill-prepared for the scrutiny from NGOs and the resulting criticism and pressure. For their part, international NGOs have struggled in their engagements in the region. Amnesty International has succeeded in getting traction with the Qatari government through a combination of hard hitting reports and engagement on the issues. Qatar has also shown a willingness to engage and to act. The result is a 2015 decree that reforms employment law, giving workers more rights and seeking to end some of the worst abuses of the previous system. The law comes into force in December. Both sides have remained respectful of each other and shown that engagement can lead to positive outcomes. By contrast, PAC has been involved in a car crash. It is boycotting the UAE’s chairmanship of the KP and so will not attend the plenary session in Dubai in November. PAC has also launched fierce personal attacks against the UAE’s representative Ahmed bin Sulayem, head of the Dubai Multi-Commodity Centre (DMCC) which hosts the diamond exchange. PAC’s approach not only demonstrates a lack of respect but is proving ineffective. For both governments and NGOs in the Gulf, engagement and mutual respect is the path to success. Governments have to face up to some hard truths but the reputation gains are worth the pain. For NGOs, reports and campaigns only go so far, talking to governments who are the only ones who can enact change, is more likely to lead to success.