6. Statement by the Minister for Economy: Qatar 2022

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:30 pm on 27 September 2022.

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Photo of Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething Labour 4:30, 27 September 2022

Thank you for the points and comments. Look, we’re not responsible for FIFA's choices about how it operates as an organisation on a number of levels. We are responsible for wanting to work alongside the game, the people who run it, and the people who play it and support it. That's why we've set out the balance in what we're doing to ensure the safety of people travelling, what we need to do to maximise the opportunities for Wales from the tournament, wherever it takes place, and indeed the point about our values and not losing sight of our values in the work that we do. That's why the First Minister's statement will be even more helpful because Hefin David is expressing a view that many Members share, and I recognise that. And, given my own background as an employment lawyer for trade unions and a trade union shop steward, I recognise many of the points you're making about how our own workforce is treated and the fact that those values are international and not simply for people that we happen to know ourselves. So, our values and our approach will be key, and that will inform our engagement with people in Qatar as well.

Our challenge, I think, is when we talk about what we're doing and the sort of Wales we are, we will talk about what a modern Wales is, and it's worth reflecting that, in some parts of that region, there are people who are looking to make progress and they're looking to make progress within a much shorter space of time than the few centuries or five or six decades it's taken us to make the progress that we now value and respect today. And what we, I think, need to be doing is showing that, actually, a modern country that respects all of its citizens is in a better place to prosper in the future rather than one that doesn't recognise and value all of the difference and diversity that you have within your country. You lose talent as well as those people who will look at you and think they wouldn't want to have all the relationships they otherwise might do in terms of other parts of the world. So, I can give the Member the assurance that the way that Ministers engage will be positive about who we are, who our fans are, and how we want to work with the rest of the world.

In considering a boycott, we've considered all options, but we think it's the right thing for Ministers to go, to support our team, and to make the very best of the opportunity that it is, both in terms of what it does for Wales on the stage, but also in that positive point about projecting and being proud of our values today.