UN labor agency backs Qatar reforms on migrant worker rights
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The United Nations labor agency has ended a potential investigation of Qatar after the 2022 World Cup host pledged to protect the rights of migrant workers.
The International Labor Organization says it closed a formal complaint procedure "concerning non-observance by Qatar of the Forced Labor Convention."
Qatari labor minister Issa bin Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi told the ILO Governing Body meeting that his government is "mindful to protect all migrant workers, including domestic workers."
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The complaint process, opened in 2014, put pressure on Qatar to reform and end the "kafala" sponsorship system that binds workers to their employer.
Qatar relies heavily on a massive workforce of migrant workers from Asia to expand its infrastructure. It includes stadiums, hotels and transport projects linked to the 2022 World Cup.