FIFA says progress is being made on human rights but experts remain underwhelmed

Set up earlier this year, the eight-strong panel has made 33 recommendations for FIFA to focus on, with better protection for the rights of construction workers at the next two World Cups, Russia and Qatar, as priorities.

In a statement to welcome Thursday's publication of the 52-page report, FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura said: "This report shows that FIFA is making important progress in integrating respect for human rights throughout its wide range of activities.

"We are taking a pioneering role in that regard and feel privileged to be able to count on the outstanding support of the advisory board members. They validate the important progress that is taking place and challenge us where more is still to be done."

The board, chaired by Australian lawyer and human rights expert Rachel Davis, has concentrated on five main areas: Russia and Qatar, the bidding process for the 2026 World Cup, developing FIFA's human rights policy, integrating human rights into FIFA's daily work and better engagement with external partners.

The report's conclusion praises the progress FIFA has made since it started to take these issues more seriously, particularly its adoption of a human rights policy, and acknowledged the "scale of expectations" the organisation faces in what is a very complicated area.

"What matters now is that FIFA demonstrates meaningful steps on the most urgent priorities - meaning those that can have the most severe impacts on people - as it continues to move forward on the long-term process of meeting its responsibility to respect human rights," it said.

But this relatively optimistic view of FIFA's efforts is not universally shared.

In a statement given to Press Association Sport, its deputy director of global issues James Lynch said: "This report should be a wake-up call for FIFA, which has held back from using its considerable leverage with regard to Qatar's abusive sponsorship system (for migrant workers).

"This is FIFA's own, independent human rights advisory board telling it to take a clear position on Qatar's abusive laws, and to act on that. That work should start urgently.

"Last month Qatar announced plans to carry out a series of labour reforms, supported by the UN International Labour Organization. However, it remains unclear exactly how and when they will reform the kafala sponsorship system.

"FIFA's pressure and scrutiny will be essential to ensuring that promises made by the Qatari government are delivered on in full.

"It is disappointing that the report doesn't call for FIFA to press Qatar to carry out an investigation related to the deaths of migrant workers and to abolish the exit permit. We would expect the next report to be far more explicit on FIFA's responsibilities around these issues."

This point has also been made by the author of the most recent report on Qatar 2022 for Human Rights Watch, Middle East labour rights expert Nicholas McGeehan.

"The absence of clear recommendations on protecting workers from heat and investigating deaths is troubling to say the least," said McGeehan.

"The advisory board has all the information at its disposal to make clear calls on those issues and it should do so at the earliest available opportunity."

Lynch admitted FIFA has moved from its position in 2013 and 2014, "when its leadership suggested human rights were not its responsibility", but said it cannot " rest on its laurels" and its new-found commitment will be measured on delivery.