FIFA has announced that an Amnesty International (AI) delegation will visit Zurich on Monday to “examine the status of migrant workers in Qatar in relation to the World Cup Qatar 2022.”
AI, which revealed in 2013 that project builders in the Middle East were “treated like livestock,” is prepared to deliver a petition to FIFA, urging the organization to address concerns over working and living circumstances.
The governing body of football in the world said it is glad to host such meetings as experts and partners from all across the world assess “the progress made thus far and the difficulties that remain.”
“We very much welcome the ongoing engagement with Amnesty International,” Joyce Cook, FIFA’s chief social responsibility and education officer, said on the official website. “We are always open to transparently and constructively discussing and addressing any concerns that our stakeholders may have.”
“We are fully dedicated to safeguarding the safety of personnel involved in the World Cup’s delivery, and we are optimistic that the tournament will act as a catalyst for greater positive and long-term change in the host country.”
“The World Cup has already contributed significantly to improved labor conditions in the region, as widely recognized by international expert organizations, and it is clear that Qatar is on the right track, having introduced sweeping labor reforms and making substantial progress in what has been a comparatively short period of time.”
According to FIFA, the ILO, ITUC, BWI, and other international expert organizations have already acknowledged that “the FIFA World Cup has contributed significantly to an improvement of labor conditions in Qatar, with heightened standards set by the local World Cup organisers, and wider legislative change introduced in the area of workers’ rights.”
As construction work is increasingly phased out, the latest meeting with AI will examine the state of changes implemented for workers and will begin to focus more on the service sector.
“This has included the development of an audit and inspection program for the hospitality sector, as well as due diligence measures for service providers deployed on FIFA competition venues,” FIFA said of the preparations.
“As part of FIFA’s continued engagement with human rights and labor organizations ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the dialogue with AI and labor experts will allow us to examine those projects in detail.”
The World Cup finals are rapidly approaching, with the tournament set to begin on November 21 and conclude on December 18.
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