A/HRC/26/35/Add.1 I. Introduction 1. The Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, François Crépeau, conducted an official visit to Qatar from 3 to 10 November 2013 at the invitation of the Government. As the visit focused mainly on labour migration and recruitment practices, this report does not provide a comprehensive overview of the human rights situation of migrants in Qatar. 2. During the mission, the Special Rapporteur met Government representatives (including the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Supreme Council for the Judiciary, the Public Prosecution, and the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee), representatives of the diplomatic community, the National Human Rights Committee, foundations, academics and migrants themselves. He also visited the deportation centre, the central prison and several shelters. 3. Due to the focus on recruitment of the visit, at the initiative of the Special Rapporteur the Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized a workshop during the visit to discuss recruitment practices. The workshop was attended by, inter alia, representatives of the Government, the United Nations, the National Human Rights Committee, the diplomatic community, foundations, recruitment agencies and construction companies. 4. The Special Rapporteur expresses his appreciation for the cooperation extended to him by the Government prior to, throughout and after the visit. He also thanks the staff of the United Nations Human Rights Training and Documentation Centre for South-West Asia and the Arab Region in Doha for their valuable support and assistance. II. General background: migration in Qatar 5. Revenues from oil and natural gas have enabled Qatar to attain the highest GDP per capita in the world. Qatar has made significant investments in infrastructure and construction. The population has increased from approximately 111,000 in 1970 to 1.9 million in 2013, largely due to the arrival of migrant labour beginning in the early 1980s. The majority of the migrants in Qatar are from South and South-East Asia, including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. There is also a significant number of Arab-speaking migrants, many of whom hold posts in the public sector. 6. Qatar is heavily dependent on migrant labour and has the highest ratio of migrants to citizens in the world. Approximately 88 per cent of the total population are migrants, commonly referred to as “foreign workers”. They are employed largely in construction, services and domestic work. This situation poses unique challenges for the Qatari authorities and society and fuels a legitimate anxiety about national identity. However, it must be stressed that those migrants are in Qatar at the invitation of the Government and have received work permits in order to fill labour needs largely created by the booming economy, massive construction projects and widespread reliance on domestic workers, allowing Qataris to enjoy high levels of comfort. 7. The 2022 World Cup will create a need for additional migration to Qatar. In addition to stadiums and related infrastructure, a metro system and a railway system are in the process of being built and the road system and hotel capacity will be expanded. 4