The State of Qatar reiterated its principled position in support of equality and the prevention of racial discrimination in all its forms and manifestations, stressing the importance of the work undertaken by the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism in this regard, as well as its full support for her mandate and willingness to cooperate with her to carry out her duties in an optimal manner.

This came in the speech of the State of Qatar, delivered by HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Office in Geneva Ambassador Ali Khalfan Al Mansouri, during an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on racism regarding her report on her visit to the State of Qatar.

His Excellency thanked the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism Tendayi Achiume, for her visit to the State of Qatar, appreciating the constructive discussions held during the visit.

His Excellency also thanked her for her efforts in preparing the report, which included many positive issues that could support the efforts of the State of Qatar to further fulfill its obligations in the field of promoting and protecting human rights.

His Excellency said that Qatar welcomes the Special Rapporteur's praise of the important reforms undertaken by the State of Qatar in labor laws, and the measures and guarantees that have been adopted to promote and protect the rights of migrant workers, which the rapporteur described as "truly distinctive" and Qatar affirms in this regard to move forward in these efforts.

His Excellency also welcomed the Special Rapporteur's praise of the procedures and measures established by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) to protect workers who are building the World Cup stadiums, which are a major component of the championship's legacy.

His Excellency emphasized that the government of the State of Qatar took note of the recommendations of the Special Rapporteur contained in the report, and His Excellency announced that work is already underway to implement a number of these recommendations.

His Excellency pointed out that in this regard, that there is interest in including a definition of racial discrimination in national law in line with Article 1 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, noting that the national legal framework of the State of Qatar, including the constitution and other relevant legislation, includes the general rules of the provisions of the Convention, of which the principle of equality and prevention of discrimination is one of its basic pillars.

His Excellency noted that the Special Rapporteur referred in some paragraphs of the report to information that needs further clarification, indicating that with regard to updating the national legislative system in the field of promotion and protection of workers' rights, the State of Qatar has repealed the sponsorship law and a fundamental reform has been made on the legal structure of labor relations since 2015, and according to Law No. (21) regarding organizing entry and exit of expatriates and their residency, this law, and the subsequent executive measures for it, have included many guarantees aimed at securing migrant workers rights.

His Excellency said that within the framework of cooperation and taking advantage of the relevant international mechanisms, the State of Qatar has entered into a technical cooperation agreement with the International Labor Organization for the period 2018-2020, which includes providing the organization with technical advice in vital areas such as: improving the wage protection system, the inspection and safety and occupational health system, and implementing a contractual system to replace sponsorship and improve conditions and procedures for employment of workers.

His Excellency said that Qatar has some reservations on some of the interpretations stated in the report, indicating the existence of discrimination based on racial and ethnic stereotypes, and stresses that these assumptions are contrary to the provisions of the Constitution and the laws and procedures in force in the State of Qatar, which work to enhance the spirit of equality, solidarity and brotherhood and prevent the stirring of sectarian or racial prejudices or others among the population.

His Excellency stressed that with regard to combating direct and indirect racial profiling in the framework of work, Qatar reports that bilateral agreements to recruit workers from abroad concluded by the State of Qatar with the countries of origin of workers are not based on any discrimination, as a unified model has been adopted for all bilateral agreements and memoranda of understanding related to recruitment of workers of different nationalities, which amounted to 36 bilateral agreements and 13 memoranda of understanding, the terms of those agreements, and the model contracts, are unified for all countries and do not have any discrimination between one country or another with regard to the rights of migrant workers.

His Excellency added that Qatar notes with appreciation what the Special Rapporteur indicated about her knowledge of the significant impact of the measures taken by the four countries on the human rights of Qataris in those countries, and Qatar welcomes her calling to all parties to respect their obligations under international human rights law, and to adhere to the findings of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the International Court of Justice, which are currently considering complaints submitted by the State of Qatar regarding these measures.

His Excellency expressed his hope that the Special Rapporteur will continue in her future reports to address human rights violations resulting from coercive and discriminatory measures imposed by the blockading countries, especially as it is, in our assessment, within the mandate of the Special Rapporteur, and as these measures have targeted Qataris.

His Excellency added that Qatar also hopes that the Special Rapporteur will also address the serious consequences of these measures, in particular, the spread of hate and discrimination speeches based on nationality in the region and that this will be reflected in her forthcoming reports to be submitted to the Human Rights Council within the framework of her mandate.