Submitted by WA ContentsALQST's new report exposes disturbing facts regarding Neom construction site Saudi Arabia Architecture News - Dec 04, 2024 - 13:22 html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Independent human rights organization ALQST has released a new report that reveals disturbing facts about the Neom construction site in Saudi Arabia.The 8-page report, titled Neom: A human rights and environmental impact assessment, highlights the risk of widespread labor rights abuses, particularly emphasized by the recent failures related to a worker's death at a Neom construction site, and the severe impact on the environment.The recent report follows a groundbreaking study titled The Dark Side of Neom, published last year by ALQST. It detailed serious abuses concerning the forced displacement and prosecution of the regions longstanding inhabitants, the Huwaitat tribe.ALQST highlights that this briefing emphasizes more serious moral challenges and reputational risks for potential partners and investors in the project."Neom is creating an aura of Saudi modernity and globalism""Already, Neoms development has led to forced evictions and brutal repression of local inhabitants. Construction will likely be carried out by hundreds of thousands of migrant workers with few rights and little freedom," said ALQST.ALQST believes that the Neom project is aimed at consolidating the personal authority of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and providing false legitimacy to his authoritarian rule."And even before the projects realisation, Neom is creating an aura of Saudi modernity and globalism that is being used to consolidate the personal authority of its author, Mohammed bin Salman, and lend a spurious legitimacy to his repressive one-man rule," stated in the report by ALQST."Current proposals, if brought to fruition, will create a dystopian urban environment and ecological catastrophe.""ALQST has produced this business briefing, based on both first-hand and open-source information, to fact-check the claims being made for Neom, highlight its human rights and environmental impact, and point out the political and reputational risks for those involved or considering involvement in this mega-enterprise," said ALQST.The $500 billion Neom mega project is currently under construction in the Tabuk Province of northwestern Saudi Arabia. The site, near the Red Sea, will have borders of Egypt, Israel, and Jordan. Neom is a key project in Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans Vision 2030 economic plan and is one of five host cities in Saudi Arabias bid for the 2034 World Cup.At its core is a futuristic linear city called The Line, which was initially designed to be 170 kilometers long but has been reported to be significantly scaled down. The city is planned to be 200 meters wide.Human rights concerns regarding NeomThe organization emphasizes that the project operates independently of any public participation or consultation initiatives and is a state-supported, top-down initiative.Additionally, the ALQST report indicates that a significant portion of the kingdom's wealth has been diverted into a "video game-inspired vanity project" rather than being invested in essential improvements to infrastructure, such as housing, education, and healthcare in existing Saudi towns and cities."It is important to point out that Neom is a state-sponsored, top-down project completely detached from any popular demand for such a development, or any public participation in the decision-making, or any attempt at public consultation on the plans," ALQST explained."Vast amounts of the kingdoms wealth are being poured into what some regard as a videogames-inspired vanity project at the expense of more prosaic but much-needed improvements to infrastructure such as housing, education and healthcare in existing Saudi towns and cities," it added.The Line project in Saudi ArabiaConstruction workers in Saudi Arabias construction industry typically endure poor working conditionsThe report also addresses the poor working conditions and deprivation of basic rights of migrant workers."The construction of Neom will require hundreds of thousands of migrant workers (as well as white-collar expatriates)," stated in the report."Saudi Arabias kafala (sponsorship) system regulates all foreign residents legal and employment status in the country, but particularly affects low-paid workers recruited from some of the worlds poorest countries.""The kafala system restricts migrant workers freedom of movement by requiring them to obtain an exit permit to leave the country and, in most cases, their employers approval to change jobs.""Their legal status in Saudi Arabia is tied to their kafeel (sponsor), leaving them vulnerable to abuses such as non-payment of wages or retention of their passports by employers," the report added."Construction workers in Saudi Arabias construction industry typically endure poor working conditions, working long hours in the countrys harsh climate and often suffering from heat stress and other health problems.""There have also been several reports of wages going unpaid for months on end," the report stressed.The Line project in Saudi ArabiaThe reports unveils "the first death of a migrant worker" on a Neom siteThe report also details the death of Abdul Wali Skandar Khan, a 25-year-old Pakistani civil engineer and father of two who died after a guardrail collapsed at a Neom construction site on December 28, 2023. the ALQST explains, it is "the first death of a migrant worker on a Neom site.""Abdul Wali Skandar Khan, a 25-yearold Pakistani civil engineer and father of two, died on 28 December 2023 while working on a Neom construction site after a guardrail collapsed. He was employed by China Comservice, via a subcontractor, Falcon Group," the report explained."Despite the seriousness of the incident, neither the companies nor the Saudi authorities carried out a proper investigation or organised repatriation of his body.""His brother Meer Wali Khan, a dual British-Pakistani citizen, had to travel to Saudi Arabia in January 2024 to retrieve Abdul Walis body at his own expense.""China Comservices response has also been inadequate in other regards, with promises of compensation and access to CCTV footage remaining unfulfilled, leaving Abdul Walis family with neither clarity nor justice."It added that "the company deposited a small portion of the promised compensation in the Pakistani embassys account, without the familys agreement, and nearly a year later they are still fighting to access it. Meer Wali is now seeking further support from NGOs and exploring legal avenues to ensure accountability for his brothers death, and to alleviate the plight of other migrant workers.""The companies and Saudi authorities have treated my brother with callous disregard. At every stage since his death, they have failed to act sufficiently, causing me and my family even more pain and hardship," said Meer Wali Khan, the brother of Abdul Wali Skandar Khan."As such, our quest for answers and justice continues, for Abdul Wali and others who have suffered a similar fate," Khan added.The environmental impact of NeomThe report looks at the details of the environmental impact of Neom under the three sub-titles: Endangering biodiversity and the ecosystem, A vastly energy-intensive venture, and Neom and greenwashing."Neom is symptomatic of a wider effort by the Saudi authorities to greenwash their environmental impact, as evidenced by their discourse concerning the climate crisis at COPs 26 and 28," stated the report."The projects reliance on unproven technologies and techno-optimism, a form of climate delay, casts doubt on the genuineness of the authorities whole green narrative.""Their declared ambition to build the green megacity of the future is clearly at odds with the kingdoms broader policy direction, such as its vow to increase fossil fuel extraction," it said.Given these serious concerns, the final section of the report emphasizes that all businesses involved in Neom, or those considering participation, have a responsibility to avoid complicity in human rights violations and to take steps to prevent any negative impacts."Neoms development relies heavily on international investment and partnerships, making foreign businesses some of the best-placed actors with real power to challenge Saudi Arabias authorities," said ALQSTs Executive Director Julia Legner."We urge them to look closely at the evidence, and take the appropriate action," Legner.In 2022, three men were sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for resisting "displacements" in Neom project site by Saudi Arabias Specialised Criminal Court (SCC), as reported by ALQST.The Neom mega project includes the design of the linear skyscraper, The Line, a-200 meters wide, 170-kilometers-long structure will be 500 meters tall above sea level, which is expected to provide home 9 million residents.All images courtesy of Neom.> via ALQST