Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL4437):
Question by Lord Alton of Liverpool:
To ask His Majesty’s Government what representations they have made on modern slavery to the governments of (1) the United Arab Emirates, (2) Saudi Arabia, (3) Kuwait, (4) Oman, (5) Qatar, and (6) Jordan; and what response they received from each. (HL4437)
Tabled on: 08 May 2024
Answer:
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon:
The UK is committed to eradicating all forms of modern slavery, forced labour and human trafficking and continues to engage with governments around the world, including in the Gulf States and Middle East. For example, the UK Modern Slavery Envoy visited Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup to encourage further collaboration on combatting human trafficking, and participated in the 4th Regional Forum on Combating Human Trafficking in the Middle East hosted by Qatar in 2023. He also met the President of the Saudi Human Rights Commission to discuss the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in 2023.
Date and time of answer: 22 May 2024 at 17:53.
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Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL4436):
Question by Lord Alton of Liverpool:
To ask His Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of modern-day slavery in (1) the United Arab Emirates, (2) Saudi Arabia, (3) Kuwait, (4) Oman, (5) Qatar, and (6) Jordan, particularly in relation to the kafala system. (HL4436)
Tabled on: 08 May 2024
Answer:
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon:
The ‘kafala’ system (sponsorship) has been the source of many allegations of human rights abuses in the Gulf states and Middle East. We have seen some progress in recent years to address these issues. Qatar introduced legislation protecting labour rights particularly for migrant workers in 2020. Saudi Arabia introduced a Domestic Workers Regulation that will be enacted from September 2024. Jordan and Kuwait signed the ‘Prime Ministers Call for Action to end forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking in 2017′, whilst Oman joined the Arab Charter on Human Rights in 2022. We remain committed to supporting efforts to implement these changes and improve labour rights in the Gulf States and Middle East.
Date and time of answer: 22 May 2024 at 17:53.
