A/HRC/44/57/Add.33 III. Promoting and protecting workers’ rights: A. Access to justice: Paragraphs 25, 26, and 27: The State of Qatar concluded in October 2017 a technical cooperation agreement with the ILO for the period 2018-2020 including the provisions of technical advice to Qatar in the following areas: improving the wages protection system, labour inspection and occupational health and safety, developing an employment contracts to replace the kafala (sponsorship) system, improving the conditions of employment, raising awareness about prevention and protection of forced labour and the prosecution of perpetrators, and giving a voice to workers. Furthermore, the State of Qatar has updated its legislative system in the field of promoting and protecting workers’ rights in keeping pace with its aspirations in this field, out of these we want to single out the following, by way of clarifying the information mentioned in the Special Rapporteur’s report according to the following: (a) Law number (13) of 2017 creating a committee or more named ‘Labour Disputes Resolution Committee,” to settle, within a period not exceeding three weeks, all disputes arising from the provisions of the law or an employment contract referred by the competent department of the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs to the committee. The committee’s decision settling the dispute shall have executory force according to the following measures: • Complaints will be presented directly by the employee, domestic worker or through embassies to the relevant department at the Ministry of Development, Labour, and Social Affairs by filling in the appropriate form with the required information and sign it and before submitting the complaint to the Ministry. The complaint will then be registered electronically, then the company’s representatives are invited by email, and the expat worker complainant receives a copy of the formal summons. • The dispute settlement officer provides legal advice to the employee or domestic worker with the assistance of one of the many translators available at the Ministry, in all languages spoken by expat workers. In addition, interpreters are also available in the dispute settlement committee’s department. No fees are associated with this process and the government offices including labour committees are open for the workers in the afternoon, • If the employee or domestic worker desires to obtain a legal opinion (in any stage of the complaint), he can meet one of the legal experts at the department of labour relations, during official working hours (without having to book an appointment). • If a worker believes he has suffered retaliation through a criminal act from the employer, the said employee will be advised by the dispute settlement officer to resort to relevant authorities (police/prosecution). • Furthermore, worker complaints can be presented through electronic devices where the department will continue giving out electronic advices for receiving those complaints and training workers to use them. They are available in (11) languages, in addition to that, the Ministry is seeking to enable workers and Domestic workers to present their complaints and follow up them electronically on the website of the Ministry of Development, Labour, and Social Affairs through the application “Amerni”. This will enable workers and domestic workers who are unable to appear physically before the Ministry to submit their complaints, while at the same time maintaining the confidentiality of the complaints. 6