Qatar has claimed that the "working conditions and human rights situation in the Gulf state have improved, in the wake of a recent Amnesty International report which claimed otherwise," according to Stephan Uersfeld of ESPN. 2022 World Cup Organization Committee CEO Nasser Al-Khater said, "We had no more deaths, and the living conditions [for workers] have improved." Last week, Amnesty International released a report stating that the 2022 World Cup hosts have "not taken credible steps required to tackle widespread labour exploitation." FIFA released a statement saying "that the hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the subsequent international spotlight on Qatar is serving as a catalyst for social change, a view also shared by Amnesty International in its latest report." FIFA added that it will continue "to work
closely with Qatar as the country starts to implement the concrete
measures" of "working towards the ultimate goal of creating sustainable
measures in relation to workers' welfare standards in Qatar as soon as
possible." Al-Khater said that Qatar is making "steady progress in improving the working conditions and human rights in the Gulf state." Al-Khater: "We've passed labour reforms this year, which are already in use such
as the law that salaries are transferred at the beginning of every
month. There are more inspections on the working
sites. And the state is building homes, training pitches and hospitals,
with some of them already in use" (ESPN, 11/19).
