FIFA Human Rights Advisory Board: Reports & recommendations to FIFA ahead of the 2018 & 2022 World Cups
We believe that continued progress may become more rather than less challenging for FIFA in the future, with increased stakeholder pressure on fundamental human rights issues ranging from combatting structural racism, to the protection of children, to equity for women at all levels of the game, to the risks of large-scale tournaments exacerbating existing inequalities in over-stretched cities already struggling with COVID-19. To manage these challenges, FIFA will need a body that can speak honestly to it about its performance – as we have done – with the statutory power to ensure the organisation listens to independent views, including on key strategic decisions.Fifth report by FIFA Human Rights Advisory Group
In March 2017, FIFA announced the establishment of an independent Human Rights Advisory Board to help strengthen its efforts to ensure respect for human rights. This was the first such entity created by a global sports governing body. The Board was established for an initial two-year period on the initiative of FIFA's President. The Board's mandate was renewed for a second two years in January 2019, concluding in December 2020.
The Board comprised eight international experts in human, including labor, rights and anti-corruption issues from the United Nations, trade unions, civil society, academia and business (see the list of Board members below and read their bios here). The Board provided FIFA with advice on all issues that it considered relevant to the implementation of FIFA's human rights responsibilities under Article 3 of the FIFA Statutes, making nearly 90 recommendations to FIFA on a wide range of topics, including:
- Risks connected to the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia and FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, particularly to the rights of migrant workers and LGBTQ+ individuals;
- Risks affecting women and girls in the game, from professional women players, to women football fans in Iran, to women experiencing severe sexual harassment and abuse;
- Strengthening accountability for human rights in FIFA’s governance structures and access to remedy for those harmed; and
- Responding to urgent cases involving human rights defenders (like Semyon Simonov and Oyub Titiev) or individual players (like Hakeem Al-Araibi).
The Board produced a series of public reports summarizing its work and setting out its recommendations to FIFA. FIFA provided updates on how it was addressing previous recommendations from the Board.
The Board met formally with FIFA in Zurich twice a year and, on its own, on a bimonthly basis to ensure it was providing timely advice. In October 2018, the Board held its meeting in Doha, Qatar. The members of the Board provided advice to FIFA on an independent basis and received no financial or other compensation for their time. The Board’s work was carried out in line with its Terms of Reference (updated in 2019), and a set of Operating Principles adopted by the Board at its first meeting in 2017.
The Board engaged with a wide range of stakeholders, including representatives of international organizations, trade unions, NGOs and people directly affected by FIFA’s operations in developing its recommendations and evaluating FIFA’s progress.
The board's reports, FIFA's updates, and further background on FIFA and human rights, including an independent report by Professor John Ruggie in April 2016, can be found below.
The Board is grateful to the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre for hosting this story about its activities.
Board members and their terms:
- William Anderson (adidas), 2017-20
- Susan Bissell (Independent Senior Advisor), 2019-20
- Rachel Davis (Shift) – Chair of the Board, 2017-20
- Ignacio Packer (Terre des Hommes), 2017-18
- Sylvia Schenk (Transparency International Germany), 2017-20
- Theo van Seggelen (FIFPro), 2017-20
- Lene Wendland (Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights), 2017-20
- Brent Wilton (The Coca-Cola Company), 2017-20
- Ambet Yuson (Building and Wood Workers' International), 2017-20