A/HRC/44/44/Add.1 framework with international human rights law. The most notable new laws or amendments are described below. 31. In 2015, Qatar adopted Act No. 21 and the amendment thereto, law No. 1 of January 2017, regulating the entry, exit and residence of migrant workers. The Act removed the constraints previously imposed on some migrant workers when changing employers. According to the amendment, a worker’s departure from the country is no longer tied to notifying the competent authority at the Ministry of the Interior three days prior to each trip outside the country. Leaving the country for holidays or for an emergency, or for any other purpose becomes a worker’s right after the worker has notified the employer. 32. More recently, in January 2020, a ministerial decree came into force, removing exit permit requirements for workers not covered by changes previously made in 2018, namely, domestic workers, workers in government and public institutions, workers employed in the oil and gas sector and workers employed at sea and in agriculture. Exit permit requirements remain in place for members of the armed forces and for a limited number of workers in key posts in companies.28 33. In February 2017, the Council of Ministers adopted Act No. 15 on domestic workers, and promulgated it in August of the same year. The law prohibits the employment of domestic workers before they have obtained a work permit in the country. It also prohibits the employment of domestic workers, of both sexes, who are under 18 years or over 60 years of age. The law sets down a maximum limit for hours of work, which is 10 hours a day, during which time will be allowed for worship, rest and food. Such periods will not enter into the calculation of the hours of work. Workers are also granted paid weekly rest for no less than 24 consecutive hours, and annual holidays of a three-week duration for each year spent in service, sick leave, and an end-of-service bonus. Under Chapter 11 bis of the Labour Code, disputes arising between an employer and a worker are to be referred to a workers’ dispute resolution committee. 34. In 2018, Qatar adopted law No. 13 on dispute resolutions, amending several provisions of the Labour Code and the Civil and Commercial Proceedings Law issued on 16 August 2017. The law obliges both workers and employers, in the event of a dispute between them relating to the application of the law or the employment contract, to submit the dispute first to the competent department at the Ministry, which consequently takes the measures necessary to settle the dispute amicably. If the dispute is not settled or if the worker or employer refuses the settlement proposed by the department concerned, the dispute is referred to a committee specialized in settling worker disputes. The Government also informed the Independent Expert about the formation of worker dispute resolution committees at the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs, chaired by a judge from a court of first instance selected by the Supreme Judiciary Council, and composed of two other members nominated by the Minister. Other new laws include Act No. 11 of 2018 regulating political asylum, which, while a welcome development, has to date fallen short of international obligations, as it restricts the freedom of movement and freedom of expression of refugees. 35. Other positive developments include the setting in 2017 of a “temporary” minimum wage of 750 Qatari riyals (QR) pending the enactment into law of a permanent minimum wage; shelter for abused workers run by the Red Crescent was becoming operational at the time of the visit, a service that is urgently needed; and, in what is considered progress in giving voice to migrants, representatives of migrant workers now sit in biannual forums with representatives of the Ministry of Labour. A fund to compensate unpaid workers while their claims are being processed is in its pilot phase. An anonymous hotline for those working on the construction of stadiums in view of the World Cup is something that could be replicated for the workforce in general, and emulated internationally. Workers involved in building the stadiums seem overall to enjoy better conditions than other construction workers in the country. 36. Despite the significant progress made in the above-mentioned areas, a number of important concerns remain, especially in the implementation of admittedly progressive legal 28 ILO, “Exit permits consigned to history for almost all migrant workers in Qatar”, press release, 16 January 2020. 9