Every year since joint inspections began in Qatar based on the memorandum of Understanding signed in late 2016 between BWI and the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy of Qatar, established for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the Joint Working Group (JWG) has made a report. There are agreed reasons for preparing the report. It is a way to be transparent about our joint work and to give a public overview of our progress, our setbacks and our hopes for the future. But, the process of reviewing our work, organising the results and reflecting upon them also guide future work of the JWG.
We are happy to release the latest report for 2019. Many details are in the report, but it is not only the details that count. It is also our common approach to cooperation and our shared aspirations for the future.
In his introduction to the report, the Secretary-General of the Supreme Committee, H.E. Hassan Al Thawadi, spoke not only of progress, but also of the spirit of cooperation. He wrote: “Our partnership with Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) embodies the values that we stand for and is a live example of how collaboration and cooperation can enact the transformational progress that we seek to deliver. “
In the same spirit, the message of Ambet Yuson, General Secretary of BWI, in his introduction, looked to the immediate, but also long-term future of the construction industry and construction workers in Qatar. He wrote: “If we succeed in this decisive last stretch to extend our good work and to reach the point that trade unions and other worker rights are fully protected, that will be the full measure of our success and of the lasting value of our dedication and efforts. We will leave behind a legacy of human rights and decent work for migrant workers, a stronger industry, and progress for the people and economy of Qatar. We have gone too far down this road to fail.”
The report can be downloaded here.