Today, 19 November 2024, ALQST for Human Rights released its latest briefing paper on the wide range of concerns regarding Saudi Arabia’s Neom megacity project. They include the risk of widespread labour rights abuses, brought into focus once again by a string of failures surrounding the death of a worker on a Neom construction site, and the devastating effects on the environment...

As with the World Cup as a whole, a major concern over its development, given the prevalence of labour exploitation and abuses in the country, relates to labour rights, in particular the rights of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers...

The scope of concerns around Neom goes well beyond violations affecting the area’s inhabitants and migrant workers, however. Our briefing also explores the project’s environmental impact and issues such as digital surveillance. The risks Neom poses to the regional ecosystem, its vast carbon footprint, and the volume of raw materials needed, stand in conflict with its stated ambition to be a “green megacity of the future”. Moreover, the extravagant and surreal plans for Neom – a top-down project – do nothing to address the stark deficiencies in the country’s broader infrastructure and the real-world daily struggles faced by many Saudi citizens...

In light of these profound concerns, all businesses involved or considering involvement in Neom have a responsibility to avoid complicity in human rights abuses and prevent any adverse impacts taking place. ALQST’s briefing is designed to help them fact-check the claims being made about the project when weighing their decisions.

...