On January 4th of 2026, Saudi Arabia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the aim of strengthening workers’ rights. The Kingdom’s Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Ahmed Al-Rajhi, and Human Rights Commission President Hala Al-Tuwaijri formalised an agreement focused on promoting a fair and safe working environment, enhancing regulatory compliance, and safeguarding labour rights through institutional cooperation and transparency. Saudi Arabia has recently made developments with regards to rights afforded to workers, such as the supposed abolition of the Kafala system in late 2025. As is the case with such developments, agreements and promises, tangible evidence of workers’ rights improving must be seen before considering this a step in the right direction.
The MoU aligns itself with the broader goals of Saudi Vision 2030, the multi-year strategic roadmap to diversify the economy and create a social and cultural hub. This development occurs against a backdrop of mounting international pressure on Saudi Arabia over labour conditions, particularly as it prepares to host several high-profile global events. The Kingdom is set to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, which has drawn intense scrutiny from human rights organisations and international bodies. The debate around workers’ rights and “sportswashing” which surrounded the 2022 Qatar World Cup has re-emerged, amidst the infrastructural projects planned ahead of the footballing competition. In addition to the World Cup, Saudi Arabia was originally slated to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games in Neom, but the Saudi Olympic Committee and the Olympic Council of Asia have agreed to postpone the event indefinitely. These events are central to the aims of Saudi Vision 2030, specifically in rebranding the Kingdom as a global hub for tourism and sport. The explicit objective of “rebranding” calls to question the legitimacy and commitment which the Kingdom will dedicate to such Memoranda of Understanding.
The workers’ rights MoU, therefore, can be seen as part of a broader attempt by Riyadh to respond to mounting international pressure as they establish their position as a cultural and sporting home. While it can be argued that this demonstrates Saudi Arabia’s growing awareness of minimum global standards and intent to address them, their effectiveness will ultimately depend on implementation and outcome. As large-scale infrastructural developments exponentially accelerate, the treatment of workers becomes an increasingly pertinent measure of human rights commitments as a whole.
Saudi Arabia’s history with MoU’s suggests that this memorandum is unlikely to bring about positive results. Notably, Saudi Arabia’s tumultuous MoU with Indonesia regarding migrant workers, which highlighted the foundational issues with the Saudi Arabian approach to delivering upon promises. The memorandum intended to regulate recruitment and improve protections for Indonesian domestic workers, but struggled to gain public and political confidence in Indonesia due to longstanding concerns over abuse, weak enforcement mechanisms, and the absence of binding legal safeguards. Despite formal commitments, the agreement failed to fully resolve trust deficits or prevent renewed criticism, highlighting the limitations of MoUs when they are not accompanied by transparent enforcement and accountability. This precedent raises further questions about whether Saudi Arabia’s recent labour agreements will translate into meaningful and lasting change.
Concerns over the MoU between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia are worsened by the fact that the MoU from January 4 2026 is not a bilateral agreement. Instead, it is a unilateral commitment which is enforced and built around Saudi Arabian laws and authorities. It cannot be emphasised enough, that the Saudi commitment to workers’ rights should only be a trusted project when workers’ rights improve.