New York: The State of Qatar and the US signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for technical cooperation and support of the ongoing labour reform programme in Qatar, especially in the areas of labour inspection and the domestic employment law.

H E Yousef bin Mohammed Al Othman Fakhro hailed the permanent partnership with the US to strengthen capacities and cooperate closely on important issues such as workers’ rights and protection.The minister expressed hope that the ministry will work with the US Department of Labor in the field of knowledge transfer and training on best practices. He called on the US minister and members of his ministerial team to visit Qatar in the near future.

The Minister also met with the US Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, John Cotton Richmond.

They discussed the comprehensive efforts of Qatar in the fight against trafficking human beings, and the report of the US State Department in this regard.

In a press statement, the US Labor Department said Qatar had undertaken a number of labour reforms in preparation for hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In November 2017, the State of Qatar signed a cooperation agreement with the International Labor Organization, confirming that cooperation with the US Department of Labor will strengthen and support those initiatives.