The head of the United Nations labor agency, International Labour Organization (ILO) director general Gilbert Houngbo, expressed positive relations with Saudi Arabia as the agency investigates allegations of human rights abuses related to the upcoming 2034 World Cup. During a briefing in Geneva before an annual gathering of world leaders in Davos, Switzerland, on January 29-30, Houngbo highlighted that the ILO aims to send more expert staff to Riyadh to address these issues.
Houngbo noted that the ongoing investigation stems from a formal complaint by an international trade union, accusing Saudi Arabia of mistreatment within the "kafala" employment system affecting migrant workers involved in the kingdom's construction boom. The complaint was filed last year as FIFA directed the 2034 World Cup preparations towards Saudi Arabia. Human Rights Watch had previously urged FIFA to implement binding commitments to safeguard migrant workers, primarily from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Yemen, but no public assurances were made to allow civil society groups to monitor World Cup projects on-site.
Despite the lack of commitments from Saudi Arabia regarding civil society monitoring, Houngbo conveyed that Saudi authorities expressed a willingness to collaborate with the ILO. He stated, "The (Saudi) authorities have told me that they really want to work with ILO," reaffirming that they are prepared to address labor condition deficits.
Saudi Arabia is set to build and renovate 15 stadiums across five cities for the 48-team, 104-game tournament, including eight new stadiums that will be constructed from scratch. Rights activists and trade unions have raised concerns that both FIFA and Saudi Arabia may not have adequate safeguards in place to prevent a recurrence of issues experienced during World Cup preparations in Qatar, specifically citing hundreds of migrant worker deaths over the past decade.
Houngbo emphasized the importance of increasing the ILO's presence in Riyadh, pointing to the upcoming 2030 World Expo, which will also feature substantial construction efforts in the city. In addition to addressing labor-related concerns, Houngbo shared U.S. President Joe Biden's worries about the risks posed to democracy by the concentration of power in the hands of a few wealthy individuals. He acknowledged the need for global discussions on this topic but refrained from singling out any particular country or individual as problematic.
Shifting focus to broader labor market trends, the ILO reported a steady global unemployment rate of 5% in 2024, although youth unemployment climbed to 12.6%. The organization noted that labor markets are under pressure from geopolitical tensions, climate change costs, and unresolved debt issues. Currently, there is a global jobs gap affecting 402 million individuals seeking employment, while the informal economy has grown by 10% to a staggering 2.2 billion people lacking social protection and collective bargaining rights.
Furthermore, the ILO report indicated that extreme forms of working poverty impact 240 million individuals, constituting 7% of the global workforce. This statistic underscores the pressing need for improved labor conditions and employment quality worldwide.
