HOUSTON, Texas – The Houston 2026 World Cup Bid Committee held its second virtual workshop December 11 as part of its response to the FIFA assignment on human-rights risks and opportunities.

Approximately 85 stakeholders from the Houston community participated in a two-and-a-half-hour discussion that built on specific opportunities surrounding the eight issues prioritized in the first workshop that could be associated with hosting a FIFA World CupTM.

The workshop, led by the bid committee’s sub-committee on human rights and chairwoman Minal

Patel Davis, the director of the City of Houston’s Mayor’s Office of Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence, included a special participant – Luis CdeBaca, former U.S. Ambassador to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons and member of the Grace Farms Foundation’s Justice Initiative.

CdeBaca, one of the country’s most decorated federal prosecutors, was also Director of the Department of Justices’Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking under President Barack Obama.

The list of the committee’s priorities, as determined in the November meeting, are Safety and Security, Worker’s Rights, Migrants, Non-Discrimination, Human Trafficking, Right to Participate in the Conduct of Public Affairs, Houston Rights and Disability Access.

“Houston has long been a global city ready to host a World Cup in 2026,’’ Davis said. “Our second human rights stakeholder meeting helped to confirm that, as we included not only local leaders, but also global human rights experts who helped formulate our solutions and define opportunities for legacy.”

In addition to CdeBaca, Houston 2026 World Cup Bid Committee board member and U.S. soccer

legend, DaMarcus Beasley, opened the workshop by sharing his thoughts on playing in four World Cups.