Qatar – FairSquare

Exporting Authoritarianism: new UAE briefing

FairSquare today released a briefing paper examining how the UAE has used its oil and gas revenues to finance an interventionist and ruinous foreign policy, most notably in the Middle East and North Africa.

UAE, other Gulf states exposing migrant workers to potentially fatal temperatures

COP28 hosts should lead the way to protect workers’ health and lives in the face of alarming projections

Extreme and rising temperatures in the Gulf states are placing migrant workers across the region at acute risk of potentially fatal heat-related illnesses and injuries, a new report from the Vital Signs Partnership has found.

Call on UK government to prohibit and phase out state ownership of football clubs

Systemic stability not possible with nation state involvement

FairSquare has this week written to Lucy Frazer, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, urging the UK government to outlaw state ownership of English football clubs.

Talabat Food Delivery Riders in Qatar Unpaid for 8 Months then Deported

One rider died after road accident while “working for tips”

A group of 160 migrant workers in Qatar, scores of whom have been working exclusively for the food delivery service Talabat, have been subjected to wage theft, in some cases going unpaid for as long as 8 months, FairSquare has found. The parent company of Talabat is the German company Delivery Hero.

Call on UEFA to protect competition integrity

Qatari state takeover of Manchester United would strengthen autocrats’ grip on the game

FairSquare has written to UEFA to call on European football’s governing body to outline a clear public position prohibiting a Qatari state takeover of Manchester United.

FIFA Misleading World on Remedy Fund for Migrant Workers

New Legacy Fund Should Be Used to Ensure Workers’ Compensation

FIFA is still failing to fulfill its human rights responsibilities by refusing to commit to compensate migrant workers and their families for abuses while preparing and delivering the World Cup 2022 tournament in Qatar, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, FairSquare, and Equidem said today.

Key UN expert group asked to examine Qatar World Cup whistleblower’s case

Human rights organization FairSquare today asked the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to examine the case of Abdullah Ibhais, a whistle-blower on the Qatar World Cup. A formal submission shared with the Working Group today argues that Ibhais has been arbitrarily detained, on the basis of a demonstrably unfair trial.

New report links lack of healthcare access to migrant worker deaths in the Gulf

Research for the Vital Signs Project identifies inability to access healthcare as a likely significant factor in the number of preventable deaths of migrant workers in the Gulf, and lack of documentation and affordability as key barriers.

A coalition of organisations, including NGOs from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and the Philippines, today issued a report on low-income migrant workers’ access to healthcare in the Gulf. The Cost of Living, based on quantitative and qualitative research in the Gulf states and in multiple countries of origin, describes how multiple barriers prevent low-income migrant workers from accessing non-emergency healthcare in the six states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

FIFA Yet to Back Workers’ Remedy Fund Despite Growing Support

Football’s Governing Body Should Commit to Compensate Before World Cup Opens

FIFA has yet to officially commit to a fund to compensate migrant workers for harms and deaths in Qatar, despite public backing from at least seven national Football Associations, four World Cup sponsors, former players, political leaders and, according to an opinion poll, a large majority of the public in 15 countries, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and FairSquare said today.

FIFA World Cup: All Sponsors Should Back Remedies for Workers

Global Survey Shows Major Support for Sponsors Backing Migrant Worker Compensation Call

FIFA’s corporate partners and sponsors of the 2022 World Cup should all press the global football association and the Qatari government to provide compensation and other remedies to migrant workers and their families who suffered death or injury, wage theft or debt from illegal recruitment fees while preparing the tournament, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and FairSquare said today.