Zurich: The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy in Qatar shall provide FIFA by 12 February 2014 with a detailed report on the improvement of working conditions in Qatar. This was communicated today by FIFA in a letter from Secretary General Jérôme Valcke to those responsible in Qatar. The report will then be used to prepare for the hearing at the European Parliament in Brussels on 13 February 2014, which will be attended by Dr. Theo Zwanziger as the FIFA representative mandated to deal with this matter.
FIFA expects to receive information on the specific steps that Qatar has taken since FIFA President Blatter’s last trip to Doha in November 2013 to improve the welfare and living conditions of migrant workers.
In December 2013, the FIFA Executive Committee renewed the FIFA President’s mandate to continue discussions on the issue of labour rights in Qatar with different stakeholders, beginning with the definition of responsibilities to the various parties involved (the state of Qatar, companies operating in Qatar, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Trade Union Confederation and FIFA).
In this regard, Dr. Zwanziger has on behalf of FIFA held various meetings with human rights and labour organisations in recent weeks, including Amnesty International and the ILO, in order to strengthen the dialogue between various interest groups and to reach a sanctioned approach.
The application of international norms of behaviour is a FIFA principle and part of all of FIFA’s activities, and is expected from all hosts of its events. FIFA firmly believes in the power that the FIFA World Cup™ can have in triggering positive social change in Qatar, including improving the labour rights and conditions of migrant workers.
“We are currently in the middle of an intensive process, which is exclusively aimed at improving the situation of workers in Qatar,” says Dr Zwanziger. This process will continue after 13 February and will culminate in a report to be delivered to the FIFA Executive Committee at its meeting on 20 and 21 March. “Ultimately, what we need are clear rules and steps that will build trust and ensure that the situation, which is unacceptable at the moment, improves in a sustainable manner.” —- FIFA
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