08/20/2026
This summer, the UN has a key opportunity to shape how international law on freedom of association is interpreted under key UN human rights instruments – including in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries. Alongside global allies, the Coalition on Labor Justice for Migrants in the Gulf submitted reports to multiple UN bodies documenting the systemic racial discrimination against migrant workers in the region, and why protecting their right to freedom of association is essential.
📝First the Coalition submitted recommendations to the UN Human Rights Committee (HRCttee) on its Draft General Comment No. 38, which interprets article 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) about the right to freedom of association. The Coalition called on the HRCttee to affirm the right to freedom of association for all migrant workers, regardless of immigration status or nationality
📝The Coalition also submitted a report to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in advance of its review of Kuwait, documenting evidence of systemic racial discrimination against migrant workers employed in Kuwait between 2020 and 2026.
Across the GCC countries, the kafala system has continued to be a driver of structural racial discrimination against migrant workers, including discrimination on the basis of national origin. Freedom of association is an enabling right that is critical for combatting exploitation and getting remedy for migrant workers.
Read the Coalition’s recommendations to the HRC on freedom of association here: https://laborjusticegulfmigrants.org/general-comment-freedom-of-association/
Read the Coalition’s submission to CERD on Kuwait here: https://laborjusticegulfmigrants.org/kuwait-un-cerd/
The Coalition on Labor Justice for Migrants in the Gulf is a transnational coalition of human and labor rights organizations and global unions that advocates for the rights of migrant workers employed in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The Coalition is led by Global Labor Justice, Anti-Slavery International, EquidemOrg, and International Domestic Workers Federation.
