Almost three weeks before the start of the World Cup in Qatar, Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) flew to the Gulf emirate for talks on labor rights and other human rights issues. She wanted to discuss these issues in the run-up to the World Cup and “not burden the athletes with political issues,” said Faeser in Doha.
After their arrival in the capital, the minister responsible for top-class sport and a delegation from the German Football Association (DFB), headed by President Bernd Neuendorf, went to a round of talks on the situation of the construction workers, who mainly come from South Asia, as well as employees in the transport sector and domestic servants left. The workers’ representatives reported good new laws, which now need to be “filled with life,” said Faeser.
Meeting in a luxury hotel
The meeting, which was attended by Max Tunon from the International Labor Organization (ILO), took place in a luxury hotel. Tunon said much has improved with the new legislation. But there are still “challenges”. For example, workers often waited a very long time for their wages. Some employers still tried to prevent employees from moving to another company.
Originally, the event on labor rights was planned at a museum dedicated to the history of slavery – in Qatar and elsewhere. The building that has housed the “Bin Jelmood House” since 2015 was formerly the home of a well-known slave trader. The reason for the transfer was a fire alarm, it said. It is not the first stumbling block on this journey. There had been diplomatic upsets even before departure, but these were largely resolved over the weekend.
The Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights, Luise Amtsberg, had canceled her participation in the trip with Faeser at short notice. The Qatari government had previously complained to the German ambassador in Doha about Faeser’s criticism of the World Cup award to Qatar. The trip was therefore in the meantime on the brink.
In the past nine years there have been significant legal improvements for workers, said Dietmar Schäfers, Vice President of the International Building and Wood Workers. However, it is not checked regularly enough, for example whether the new minimum wage of around 250 euros per month is being paid and whether occupational safety regulations are being observed.
On Tuesday, Faeser will speak with Qatari Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Chalid bin Chalifa Al-Thani and Secretary General of the World Cup Organizing Committee, Hassan al-Thawadi. How these talks go will probably also depend on whether and who will travel to the World Cup for the federal government. Specifically: Whether Faeser, as Minister of Sport, will watch the opening game of the German national team against Japan from the stands in Qatar or in front of a screen in Germany. A meeting with FIFA President Gianni Infantino is also planned.
Football World Cup in Qatar begins on November 20th
Ambassador Claudius Fischbach, who was awaiting Faeser at the airport along with a protocol officer from the Qatar Interior Ministry, looks ahead. On the embassy’s website he is quoted as saying: “Here in Doha we are looking forward to the German fans and to a successful performance by the German national team at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.” The tournament starts on November 20th. The finale will take place on December 18th.
In terms of local population, the Gulf Emirate is one of the smallest countries in the region. But the ambitions of the ruling family are great. Even when it comes to bringing international sports competitions to the country – the Qatar ExxonMobil Open tennis tournament has been held in Doha since 1993. But the German-Qatarian relationship also has other facets. Qatar is one of the most important exporters of liquid gas. Last year, Qatar provided assistance to Germany and other Western nations to evacuate Afghanistan after the militant Islamist Taliban took power.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior had announced early on that the focus of the trip would be “the human rights issues that are being discussed around the tournament, such as the protection of queer people from discrimination and persecution and the responsibility for migrant workers who built the World Cup stadiums”. Faeser wants to know whether it will also be safe for gay and lesbian football fans in the conservative Islamic emirate.
