After hosting World Cup, Qatar praised by U.N. rights body for labour law reforms but urged to do more

Representational image of labourers at a construction site in Doha, Qatar
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Qatar was praised at the United Nations’ top human rights body on Tuesday (November 12, 2024) for improving labour laws before the 2022 World Cup, though it was urged to fully abolish its employment system for migrant workers.

Qatar returned to the Human Rights Council in Geneva for its five-yearly review for the first time since the football tournament that needed hundreds of thousands of foreign workers to build stadiums and other essential projects.

Football governing body FIFA is set to confirm Saudi Arabia in December as host of the 2034 World Cup — setting up another decade of scrutiny on how human rights are respected while preparing for more teams playing more games in more stadiums.

In Qatar, better labour law protections have been passed in recent years relating to a minimum wage, freedom to change employers and combating forced labour and trafficking, according to the emirate’s senior diplomat in Geneva.

Qatar “highly appreciated” the contribution of migrant workers who are “true partners,” said Hend Abdulrahman Al Muftah, its permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, in translated comments.

Qatar was urged — or “recommended,” in the formal diplomatic language of the UN rights body — by French delegate Claire Thuaudet to “pursue the implementation of the labour laws” linked to the 2022 World Cup.

Sierra Leone said Qatar should “consider abolishing all vestiges” of the labour law system known as kafala.

“We commend Qatar for its notable reforms in labour migrant legislation,” the Netherlands delegation said. “These are significant but more effective enforcement and implementations are needed.”

Qatar also was asked to abolish the death penalty by states including Brazil, Ireland, Italy and New Zealand, and decriminalise consenting same-sex relations by Brazil, Mexico and Spain.

Anticipating criticism of Qatar’s record on women’s rights, Al Muftah said Qatar now had 120 women in diplomatic roles after the number was just three several years ago.

Sweden later recommended Qatar review its laws relating to women’s rights in divorce, custody of children and inheritance while Iceland called for abolition of the male guardianship system. Iceland also urged decriminalising abortion and ensure access to reproductive health services without needing the permission of a male guardian or showing a marriage certificate.

Qatar’s delegation pointed to the country rising from outside the top 100 to now rank No. 84 in the global index of press freedom. Top-ranked Norway said Qatar should ensure “civil society, human rights defenders and journalists can operate freely without fear of reprisals.”

Qatar is widely expected to be a strong contender in bidding to host the 2036 Olympics, and concluded its presentation Tuesday with sports ministry official Nasser Ali Al-Khater hailing sports as “an important platform to enhance cooperation between peoples.

“This is what we achieved during the World Cup,” he said. “Qatar shall continue its efforts in the field of sport and empowerment.”