Berlin, Aug. 26, (dpa/GNA) – A working group from European football ruling body UEFA has said 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar is making progress in the area of workers’ rights but more work has to be done after a visit to the country.
“It is clear that Qatar has made significant positive progress with human rights legislation in the last three years,” said group member Gijs de Jong, who is also general secretary of the Dutch federation KNVB.
“There is no doubt this progress has accelerated as a result of the FIFA World Cup being awarded. The challenge is the legislation is not yet universally adopted, and whilst efforts are being made, there is a need for further work.”
On Thursday rights organization Amnesty International published a report following an investigation into the deaths of migrant workers over the past decade since the Middle East country was awarded the tournament.
UEFA said the delegation met with representatives of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Builders and Wood Workers’ International (BWI), the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the Qatar Football Association, as well as migrant workers.
Britain’s Guardian paper reported in February that 6,500 workers from five Asian nations have died in Qatar since the nation was awarded the World Cup in 2010.
Qatar has said the figures are not excessive, given the overall number of people from those nations in the country and that the number of deaths of workers at World Cup projects was 37, three of those on construction sites.
GNA