As Qatar gears up to host the region’s first FIFA World Cup, in 2022, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) together with FIFA have jointly issued the tournament’s Sustainability Strategy.
FIFA and SC began to develop and implement the event’s Sustainability Strategy five years ago, which became the first to be planned and delivered jointly by FIFA, the host country and the local organizers.
The associated policy applies to all functional areas and projects involved in the preparations for and staging of the tournament, in addition to post-event activities.
To deliver on that shared vision, five sustainability commitments have been defined:
1. To develop human capital and safeguard workers’ rights
2. To provide an inclusive tournament experience
3. To catalyze economic development
4. To deliver innovative environmental solutions
5. To set an example of good governance and ethical business practices.
On that basis, a total of 22 objectives have been described in detail, together with more than 70 concrete initiatives and programs to deliver the strategy and achieve the objectives set.
FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura said, “The FIFA World Cup offers us a unique opportunity to bring about positive change – one that FIFA and Qatar cannot, and will not, let slip away. All critical topics related to the event have been identified and duly addressed in this strategy, such as workers’ welfare, human rights, non-discrimination, and environmental protection.”
“The document is also in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and we are committed to contributing to those through the power of football and of the biggest single-sport event on the planet,” she said.
“When Qatar bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2022, it did so with a vision to use the tournament as a catalyst for sustainable, long-term change in Qatar and across the Arab world,” commented the SC Secretary-General and Q22 Chairman, His Excellency Hassan Al Thawadi.
“From the start, we believed in the power of football and the FIFA World Cup to inspire innovation, to build bridges between cultures and peoples and to accelerate positive social transformation,” he added.
Our measure of success for the tournament in Qatar will ultimately be the legacy it leaves behind, the SC Secretary-General noted.
The issues and initiatives that form the framework of the strategy were identified with the help of a thorough and continuous consultation process with local and international stakeholders and thematic experts.
This was achieved through surveys, workshops, meetings and the circulation of drafts.
Over 100 national and international governmental, non-governmental and private-sector organizations were consulted for the process.
Furthermore, the development process for the strategy also included a full human rights salience assessment, a first for a mega-sporting event, according to FIFA.
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