Qatar World Cup: Royal Belgian Football Association establishes information and consultation platform on Qatar

RBFA brings FIFA, human rights organisations and unions together to share information and consult on the situation in Qatar.

In recent months, the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) has held talks with various parties about the situation of migrant workers in Qatar. These discussions revealed a great need for accurate information and the will to work together toward lasting improvements. For this reason, the RBFA set up an information and consultation platform on Qatar on Wednesday 25 August 2021. To this end, the world football association FIFA, human rights organisations Amnesty International Vlaanderen (AIVL) and Amnesty International Belgique Francophone (AIBF), and the trade unions ACVBIE and ABVV Bouw were invited to gather around the table. "The purpose of this platform is to discuss the situation and the major concerns about the living and working conditions of migrant workers in Qatar, to collect and make available accurate information on the various topics, such as working conditions and human rights, and to work together to bring about sustainable change in the region," said Peter Bossaert, CEO of the RBFA.

All members of the platform want to combine their different insights and expertise, share information and discuss concerns about the living and working conditions of all employees involved in the World Cup (such as construction, services, safety). They also want to work together to ensure that the World Cup is a lasting and sustainable catalyst for change in Qatar and the Middle East in terms of human rights and living and working conditions for the entire population.

"All parties agree that Qatar has taken a number of important steps in recent years that should improve the situation of migrant workers in the country. For example, a new labour law was passed in late 2020 that abolishes some important elements of the Kafala system, a form of modern serfdom, although perfidious aspects remain. But much work remains to be done in various areas. We are convinced that the organisation of the World Cup can serve as a lever for further change. We must ensure that the new labour legislation is applied on the ground, even after the World Cup ends. We want to focus not only on the fate of migrant workers in the construction industry (of stadiums), but also on the many people who work as hotel and domestic staff, drivers, or security personnel. We put their rights on the agenda. We want to ensure that after the tournament, football can play a lasting and sustainable role in the region. That is also what FIFA wants and they are asking for changes together with all parties involved."
Peter Bossaert, CEO RBFA
"During the talks with the RBFA and FIFA it was established that we are all on the same page. Today, actions must take concrete form and FIFA must use its influence to ensure that a legally recognised and protected centre for migrant workers is established. If these people are to benefit fully from Qatar's labour reforms, they must be aware of their rights. The centre would be part of the legacy of the 2022 World Cup."
Patrick Vandenberghe, president ACVBIE ​
"ABVV Bouw states that the improvement of the working and living conditions of the many migrant workers across all sectors does not go far enough and, moreover, must be sustainable. Even after the World Cup, the agreements must continue to be respected and monitored by the international trade unions from the various sectors. To this end, we support, together with BWI and FIFPro, the establishment of Centres for Migrant Workers. There, migrant workers can be adequately informed, receive training and support when necessary."
Federal secretary ABVV Bouw, Gianni De Vlaminck
"Although Qatar has implemented important reforms in recent years to better protect the human rights of workers, there remain major concerns about their implementation and respect on the ground. The Qatari government bears a great deal of responsibility. With the 2022 World Cup approaching, it is essential that the world of football plays an active role in bringing about change regarding the rights of the 2 million migrant workers without whose work the 2020 World Cup would simply not be possible. The RBFA's initiative is therefore a step in the right direction."
François Graas, campaigns and advocacy manager at Amnesty International Belgique Francophone

Three consultation per year and webpage with all reports
To demonstrate its commitment, the RBFA will soon launch a new webpage where all reports of the consultation and information platform will be shared, as well as the latest reports and figures from FIFA, Amnesty International, BWI on living and working conditions, human rights, women's rights and LGBTQ rights in Qatar and the surrounding countries. In addition, new consultation dates were set for December 2021, April 2022, and September 2022.

 

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About Royal Belgian Football Association

The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) was founded in 1895 and is the official representative of Belgian football.  Our mission is the administrative and sporting organisation of Belgian football.  We are set up as a non profit association. 

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