Qatar signs MoU on human rights of World Cup workers

DOHA

Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) and FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC (Q22) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Wednesday with the Qatari National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) to collaborate in raising awareness of human rights issues while continuing to ensure that all aspects of human rights are considered in the delivery of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

The MoU’s signing was attended by Hassan al-Thawadi, secretary-general of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, Ali Samikh al-Marri, chairman of the NHRC, and Nasser al-Khater, CEO of Q22.

“The SC has worked tirelessly to protect the health, safety and welfare of all workers engaged in the Qatar 2022 project. We are proud of our achievements over the past 10 years and strongly believe that our actions have created a benchmark for excellence – not just in Qatar, but across the region and around the world,” al-Thawadi said.

“The MoU we have signed with Q22 and the NHRC will help take our commitment to human rights to the next level. With less than two years until our historic tournament begins, this ties in with our goal of ensuring that Qatar 2022 makes a meaningful contribution to the state’s vision on human rights and workers’ welfare,” he added.

According to the statement, a joint working group will be established between the three organizations to deliver the objectives of the MoU.

In 2018, Qatar issued several new laws related to workers, most notably the abolition of the sponsorship law and the law regulating the entry and exit of expatriates, which approved the abolition of the requirement to obtain an exit document.

Qatar will host the FIFA World Cup events between Nov. 21 and Dec. 18, 2022, with the participation of 32 teams competing at eight stadiums.

*Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara