FIFA has held constructive talks with the UEFA Working Group on Human Rights on the eve of the 73rd FIFA Congress, which is taking place in Kigali, Rwanda. The meeting, which was chaired by FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura, included the participation of senior representatives from the member associations of Belgium, Denmark, England, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, and Wales as well as members of the FIFA administration.

The attendees received an update from Michael Llamas, chairperson of the FIFA Sub-Committee on Human Rights and Social Responsibility, which included a description of the positive work done and progress made to ensure respect for human rights in the context of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. Mr. Llamas further explained that the Sub-Committee was committed to making an assessment of the human rights legacy of the tournament which would also be valuable in the context of planning for future FIFA tournaments as well. The assessment will be conducted in a transparent manner involving input from interested parties with the results to be made available in a public report at the end. The members of the UEFA Working Group expressed their appreciation for the constructive dialogue and confirmed their wish to strengthen cooperation with FIFA in future to ensure that football can be a vector for progress in the sphere of human rights wherever and whenever possible.