Doha: Qatar Football Association (QFA) and the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) met with officials from UEFA – European football’s governing body–to outline Qatar’s progress on the road to hosting the FIFA World Cup 2022.
The UEFA delegation included members of its workers’ rights working group, who were given an extensive overview of Qatar’s progress regarding workers’ welfare.
The SC outlined the various measures it had implemented over the past decade to protect workers, including numerous health and safety initiatives, the recruitment fee reimbursement programme, innovative cooling workwear, and nutrition programmes, among other special projects.
QFA and SC representatives also gave an overview of host country preparations. They led a visit to Ras Abu Aboud Stadium—the first fully dismountable tournament venue in FIFA World Cup history.
The 40,000-capacity stadium will be inaugurated during the FIFA Arab Cup, which will take place in Qatar later this year. The tournament will help Qatar fine-tune preparations ahead of the FIFA World Cup, which will kick off on November 21, 2022.
In addition to meetings with the QFA and the SC, UEFA members met representatives from the UN’s International Labour Organization (ILO), the global trade union Building and Wood Worker’s International, and the National Human Rights Committee.
Nasser Al Khater, CEO, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC, said: “We’re pleased to have welcomed members of the UEFA working group to Doha to witness firsthand the important work being done in relation to workers’ welfare by the Government and various independent organisations that operate in Qatar. Being able to demonstrate progress in person and on the ground in Doha is always far more impactful."
Michele Uva, UEFA’s Football and Social Responsibility Director, said: “In our initial meetings, we agreed that the working group aims to consolidate the commitment and subsequent input to share with the organisers from a UEFA perspective. We wish to understand the impact the World Cup is having regarding human rights and labour rights. All of us agree that football can create meaningful change in these areas, and that’s why we feel it is our duty to engage strongly in this discussion."
Gijs de Jong, Member of the UEFA Working Group and General Secretary of the Royal Netherlands Football Association, said: “It is clear that Qatar has made significant positive progress with human rights legislation in the last three years. There is no doubt this progress has accelerated as a result of the FIFA World Cup being awarded.”
Mansoor Al Ansari, Secretary-General of the QFA, said: “It was a pleasure to meet with representatives from UEFA here in Doha and discuss a range of aspects related to Qatar 2022. The working group was particularly interested in learning about the SC’s workers’ welfare programme and recent national labour reforms, which has overseen a raft of initiatives to protect the health, safety, and well-being of everybody engaged in Qatar’s World Cup project.”
