Overview

• Trade unions from 36 countries lodged a formal complaint with the ILO seeking its highest-level commission of inquiry into alleged abuses of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia
• The complaint details forced labor, wage theft, physical and sexual abuse and systemic racism under the kafala sponsorship system in construction and domestic sectors
• ILO director-general Gilbert Houngbo signed a renewed working agreement with Saudi Arabia in Geneva to align its labor policies with international standards
• The agreement proposes measures on fair recruitment, a minimum wage and worker representative committees even as trade unions remain prohibited in the kingdom
• FIFA has pledged to embed ILO standards into the 2034 World Cup preparations and Amnesty International urges full transparency and independent monitoring of reforms