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Cup and managing the tournament), and from CH2M HILL, a private company awarded the construction management contract for World Cup 2022 facilities. In a written response, Hassan al-Thawadi, secretary-general of the Supreme Committee, said that the body aims to ensure working conditions that meet or exceed international standards and cited the following goals from the Supreme Committee’s legacy framework and three-year strategic plan: Improved construction worker standards: improved monitoring and enforcement of appropriate living and working conditions for construction workers. Increase in the level of skills and training provided to construction workers to enable delivery of high quality facilities and leave a lasting personal legacy. Establish minimum standards and commitments for all workers involved with Qatar 2022 (for example on living conditions, working hours, pay, training, health and safety) and provide information on these commitments in multiple languages. 93 Al Thawadi’s response added that the Supreme Committee was currently “in the process of determining the requirements that companies competing for contracts relating to the work of the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee must adhere to concerning living and working conditions for migrant workers.” 94 He added that he hoped the initiative would serve as a catalyst for positive change in Qatar. CH2M HILL stressed, in a separate response to Human Rights Watch, its strong commitment to respect and protect workers’ human rights, as reflected in company ethics and business principles, which provide that: “As part of our commitment to the global community, we respect and protect the rights of those who work on our projects. We provide reasonable working conditions and fair wages. CH2M HILL has a zero-tolerance policy for forced labor or other human trafficking practices, and will not knowingly do 93 Letter from Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General, Supreme Committee for Qatar 2022, to Human Rights Watch, May 29, 2012. 94 Ibid. 49 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | JUNE 2012
usiness with subcontractors, suppliers, or other business partners who do not have similar standards.” 95 The letter adds that “as we begin our planning, we are exploring, with full endorsement from our client, the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee, new ways to use innovative processes and tools, including mandatory contract language and assurance protocols to address workers’ deployment and utilization standards at Qatar 2022 World Cup sites.” 96 It also referenced the planned use of strategic procurement and performance monitoring as additional means to address labor standards issues. These responses provide a welcome early elaboration of how the Supreme Committee and its project manager intend to proceed but do not offer enough detail to evaluate fully. As noted above, it remains unclear if the Supreme Committee will apply contractual requirements and assurance mechanisms only in relation to the World Cup competition venues and other sports-related facilities that it oversees or if it will seek to extend them to cover World Cup-related construction projects for which it plays a coordinating role, such as for public infrastructure and hotels. Moreover, neither the Supreme Committee nor CH2M HILL followed up in their initial replies on Human Rights Watch’s recommendation that they make specific, concrete, and public commitments to address the problems of migrant workers, as outlined in this report. The other companies Human Rights Watch contacted also declined to undertake such a pledge, even though they are mentioned in the report in relation to allegations of abuse at the sites where they manage construction. Those allegations, and the companies’ responses, are elaborated elsewhere in this report. 95 Letter from Margaret B. McLean, Senior VP and Chief Legal and Ethics Officer, CH2M HILL, to Human Rights Watch, May 29, 2012. 96 Ibid. BUILDING A BETTER WORLD CUP 50
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H U M A N R I G H T S W A T C H Bui
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Page 7 and 8: Based on interviews with 73 migrant
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Page 25 and 26: 20 Building a better world cup
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Page 33 and 34: Methodology Human Rights Watch cond
Page 35 and 36: I. Background Qatar, a Gulf country
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Page 39 and 40: labor is temporary. Once their job
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Page 43 and 44: of 2004 set a maximum prison term o
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Page 49 and 50: The Sponsorship Law requires reside
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Page 53: if they occur. 90 Former UN Special
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Page 61 and 62: offered himself voluntarily.” 114
Page 63 and 64: after their arrival), or penalizes
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Page 87 and 88: would terminate the employment rela
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Page 97 and 98: • Finance a public awareness camp
Page 99 and 100: Acknowledgements This report was re
Page 101 and 102: Qatar from charging workers fees, b
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Qatar, local employers and recruitm
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Request for Information Human Right
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Sponsorship-related problems: • A
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The administration has received no
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Regarding healthcare, it is well kn
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Qatari laws do not permit charging
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Qatar, which require the approval o
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4. Asks the employer or his represe
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Regarding training, Article 99 of t
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Regarding the second question, on t
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HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH 350 Fifth Avenue
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process of writing to relevant comp
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• arrange for independent monitor
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BUILDING A BETTER WORLD CUP 126
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World Cup. We have enclosed a summa
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deception and the disparity between
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CH2M HILL Response to Human Rights
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HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH 350 Fifth Avenue
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We would like to take this opportun
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Aspire Logistics Response to Human
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construction industry as a whole an
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• show that you have taken all po
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