DOHA: Concluding his two-day visit to Qatar, FIFA President Gianni Infantino today announced the creation of an oversight body with independent members to monitor the systems in place to ensure decent working conditions at FIFA World Cup™ stadiums.
With this initiative, FIFA will step up its efforts in overseeing the set-up by the Supreme Committee. The composition of this new body, which will be led by FIFA, should include relevant sectors of civil society and other relevant FIFA stakeholders to oversee all FIFA competitions.
The FIFA President was very pleased by the positive reaction and the support offered by the Qatari authorities for this initiative.
“Over the last few weeks I have been following very closely the discussions on FIFA and human rights, particularly around the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar,” said Infantino. “I have seen the measures taken by the Supreme Committee and I am confident that we are on the right track. An encouraging example is the Supreme Committee’s response to issues that have occurred, such as the ones raised by Amnesty International in its latest report, which were already tackled by the Supreme Committee prior to the release of the report. This shows that the mechanisms in place are working related to FIFA World Cup construction although challenges remain.”
The hosting of the FIFA World Cup is an opportunity to set a benchmark in terms of sustainable and fair conditions for all workers in Qatar. In connection with the 2022 event, this body will validate the quality and effectiveness of the due diligence processes in place, will analyse the regular findings of the independent auditing system, the remediation measures taken by the Supreme Committee to address any issues and report about findings, recommendations and progress, with the aim of increasing transparency around this important topic.
The FIFA President reiterated that as a global sporting body FIFA’s primary responsibility is to serve the game and stage football events. However, labour issues especially in the construction sector are a global challenge and we understand that everybody involved has a shared responsibility. Infantino concluded that “we take our responsibility seriously and are committed to playing our part.”
