After hosting World Cup, Qatar praised by UN rights body for labor law reforms but urged to do more
Geneva (AP): Qatar was praised at the United Nations' top human rights body on Tuesday for improving labor laws before the 2022 World Cup, though it was urged to fully abolish its employment system for migrant workers.
Qatar returned to the Human Rights Council in Geneva for its five-yearly review for the first time since the soccer tournament that needed hundreds of thousands of foreign workers to build stadiums and other essential projects.
Soccer governing body FIFA is set to confirm Saudi Arabia in December as host of the 2034 World Cup — setting up another decade of scrutiny on how human rights are respected while preparing for more teams playing more games in more stadiums.
In Qatar, better labor law protections have been passed in recent years relating to a minimum wage, freedom to change employers and combating forced labor and trafficking, according to the emirate's senior diplomat in Geneva.
Qatar “highly appreciated” the contribution of migrant workers who are “true partners,” said Hend Abdulrahman Al Muftah, its permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, in translated comments.
Qatar was urged — or “recommended,” in the formal diplomatic language of the UN rights body — by French delegate Claire Thuaudet to “pursue the implementation of the labor laws” linked to the 2022 World Cup.
Sierra Leone said Qatar should “consider abolishing all vestiges” of the labor law system known as kafala.
“We commend Qatar for its notable reforms in labor migrant legislation,” the Netherlands delegation said. “These are significant but more effective enforcement and implementations are needed.”
Qatar also was asked to abolish the death penalty by states including Brazil, Ireland, Italy and New Zealand, and decriminalize consenting same-sex relations by Brazil, Mexico and Spain.
Anticipating criticism of Qatar's record on women's rights, Al Muftah said Qatar now had 120 women in diplomatic roles after the number was just three several years ago.
Sweden later recommended Qatar review its laws relating to women's rights in divorce, custody of children and inheritance while Iceland called for abolition of the male guardianship system. Iceland also urged decriminalizing abortion and ensure access to reproductive health services without needing the permission of a male guardian or showing a marriage certificate.
Qatar's delegation pointed to the country rising from outside the top 100 to now rank No. 84 in the global index of press freedom. Top-ranked Norway said Qatar should ensure “civil society, human rights defenders and journalists can operate freely without fear of reprisals.”
Qatar is widely expected to be a strong contender in bidding to host the 2036 Olympics, and concluded its presentation Tuesday with sports ministry official Nasser Ali Al-Khater hailing sports as “an important platform to enhance cooperation between peoples.
“This is what we achieved during the World Cup,” he said. “Qatar shall continue its efforts in the field of sport and empowerment.”
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Karnataka Muslim Convention to be held in Bengaluru on May 16
Muslim organisations to release report on Congress govt’s three-year performance
Bengaluru: Major Muslim organisations and federations in Karnataka have decided to organise a large public convention titled ‘Karnataka Muslim Convention’ at Town Hall in Bengaluru on May 16. During the convention, a comprehensive report reviewing the three-year performance of the Congress government under the theme “What did the Congress government promise? What did it do? What next?” will be released.
According to a statement issued on Friday, no politicians will be invited to the convention. The report will be submitted to the government and all MLAs after the event.
The convention is being held at a time when the Congress government is nearing the completion of three years in office on May 20. Muslim organisations have expressed dissatisfaction, alleging that despite extending strong support to the Congress in bringing it to power, the community is being neglected.
The Convention is being organised at time when there are concerns over inadequate political representation for Muslims, alleged neglect of community demands, and the suspension of senior Muslim leaders who had worked for the party for decades.
The organisers said the convention aims to raise questions on what the Congress government has delivered so far and what further steps are expected from the government.
The decision to hold the convention was taken during a meeting held on May 6 at A J International Hotel in Shivajinagar, Bengaluru. Representatives of major Muslim organisations, associations, ulema bodies, federations, and members of the ad hoc committee of Karnataka Rajya Muslim Okkoota attended the meeting.
More than 75 representatives and delegates, including senior ulemas, jamaat leaders, lawyers, retired officials, journalists and members of the KRMO ad hoc committee, participated in the discussions.
Members of the KRMO ad hoc committee’s report preparation team and experts from different sectors presented a detailed report on the Congress government’s three-year performance. The report examined promises made to Muslims on ten major issues, the extent to which they were fulfilled, pending promises, alleged discrimination in representation, and the demands now being placed before the government.
The report covered issues such as the hijab ban, reservation cancellation, hate speech and hate crimes, budget allocation, political representation, waqf matters, the anti-cow slaughter law, anti-conversion law, scholarships and educational grants.
Participants offered suggestions and recommendations on various points, and necessary corrections to the report were accepted after detailed discussions.
The meeting also reportedly expressed strong dissatisfaction over the manner in which the Congress government has treated the Muslim community. Participants are said to have opined that if the government and the Congress party continue in the same manner, the community should keep its political options open.
It was later decided that the report would be officially released at the large public convention on May 16 under the title “Karnataka Muslim Convention – What did the Congress government promise? What did it do? What next?”
The organisers appealed to people from all districts of the state to participate in large numbers and send a strong message to the government and the Congress party through the convention.
They also decided that all organisations, jamaats and associations should work towards ensuring participation from every district in Karnataka.
The statement reiterated that no politicians would be invited to the May 16 convention and that the report on the Congress government’s three-year performance would be submitted to the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, ministers and MLAs after the event.
