A report commissioned by FIFA concluded that soccer's governing body has a “responsibility” to compensate workers harmed during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The long-awaited report from FIFA's Sub-Committee on Human Rights and Social Responsibility, finally published late Friday night Central European Time, states that the governing body has taken “a number of steps to fulfill its responsibility to respect human rights”. “We have taken measures.” A look at the tournament broadcast two years ago.
However, FIFA failed to meet one of the report's main recommendations to utilize the Qatar Heritage Fund to provide relief to workers affected by human rights violations, and instead provided direct compensation to workers in Qatar. announced that it would donate funds to several other programs that will not be implemented.
FIFA insisted that the investigation was not a “legal assessment of a remedial obligation”.
The independent study, commissioned by the subcommittee and produced by business and human rights advisory firm Human Level, found that “from 2010 to 2022, Qatar will ultimately “There have been serious human rights implications.” This will lead to the tournament.
This includes “deaths, injuries, and illnesses; wages not being paid for months; and workers and their families incurring large amounts of debt to repay the costs they paid to obtain work in Qatar.” There is.”
While acknowledging that “the primary responsibility for correcting these shortcomings rests with the direct employers of these workers and the Government of Qatar,” the subcommittee noted that “FIFA also has a responsibility at the human level to take additional steps.” “We support the views expressed in the investigation.” Take steps that contribute to providing relief to these workers. ”
World Cup organizers put the number of deaths directly related to hosting the tournament at 40. Human rights groups have long estimated that thousands of workers have died.
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A FIFA spokesperson said: “All reports and recommendations were considered during a comprehensive review by the FIFA Management and associated bodies. Certain elements were retained.
“It should be noted that this study does not specifically constitute a legal assessment of remedial obligations.''
The report recommends that FIFA utilize the Qatar Heritage Fund to provide relief to affected workers or families of deceased employees.
The Subcommittee stated that “FIFA will allocate all or part of the FIFA World Cup 2022 Legacy Fund to further strengthen the legacy of the tournament for migrant workers, as set out in the press release of 19 November 2022. He advises people to act based on this intention. ”
However, two days before the report was to be published, FIFA announced that the $50 million fund would instead be used by Qatar and three organizations – the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the UNHCR – on a global scale. announced that it will be used for a series of social programs held at , on behalf of the United Nations Refugee Agency.
“The creation of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Legacy Fund was unanimously approved by the FIFA Council following a proposal by the FIFA Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee,” a FIFA spokesperson said.
“The Worker Assistance and Insurance Fund was established in Qatar in 2018. FIFA is pleased to announce that the new Legacy Fund, backed by recognized international organizations, will be a social program to help those most in need around the world. We believe this is a pragmatic and transparent approach that covers the following:
With Qatar hosting the World Cup, FIFA has made human rights a consideration as part of the tournament's bidding process.
On Friday, FIFA's assessment report of Saudi Arabia's 2034 World Cup bid declared the human rights risk assessment to be “moderate.”
Saudi bid has no rivals The vote on the tournament venue will take place at the FIFA General Assembly on December 11.
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(Anne Christine Pujara/AFP via Getty Images)
