In December 2015, FIFA asked me to develop recommendations on what it means for FIFA to embed respect for human rights across its global operations...FIFA has been beset by allegations about human rights abuses in connection with its events and relationships...While FIFA is established as an association, it conducts significant commercial activities on a global scale, making the UNGPs the appropriate reference standard...

My recommendations are intended to be practical...Short-term priorities must include addressing human rights risks in tournaments that are already scheduled, and using every opportunity to press host countries to support FIFA’s new statutory human rights commitment. In addition, FIFA should finalize the integration of human rights requirements into the bidding documents for the 2026 Men’s World Cup. Other immediate steps should include developing a human rights policy and implementation strategy, creating the necessary internal operational and accountability structures to drive this work across the organization, and instituting more robust engagement with external stakeholders who have human rights expertise...

The recommendations are clustered under six headings, which lay out the continuum of necessary steps...Every individual recommendation is then elaborated in additional bullet points...

1. Adopt a Clear and Coherent Human Rights Policy
2. Embed Respect for Human Rights
3. Identify and Evaluate Human Rights Risks
4. Address Human Rights Risks
5. Track and Report on Implementation
6. Enable Access to Remedy

The foundational challenge for FIFA now is to go beyond putting words on paper and adding new administrative functions. What is required is a cultural shift that must affect everything FIFA does and how it does it. The result must be “good governance, ”not merely “good-looking governance.”...