DOHA: Qatar insisted Thursday it was “committed” to improving conditions for its huge number of migrant laborers following an Amnesty report accusing Doha of failing to deliver on promised reforms.

The 2022 football World Cup host defend itself after Amnesty said Doha was still “failing migrant workers” in key areas such as pay, the “kafala” system that blocks workers from leaving the country and curbs on changing employers, despite promising wholesale change more than 12 months ago.

“Significant changes have been made over the last year to improve the rights and conditions of expatriate workers,” read the statement.

“No one should be in any doubt that we are committed to effective and sustainable change.” The ministry added the number of labor inspectors — 294 — would be increased to 400 by the end of the year.

In addition more than 51,000 site visits were carried out in 2014, said the ministry.

It also said that “the promotion and protection of human rights, including the rights of expatriate workers” was at the heart of Qatar’s economic and social policies.

Pointing to the money earned by laborers, the ministry said that more than $12 billion (10 billion euros) had been sent home by laborers in 2014, “considerably more than they would earn at home.”

Qatar is expected to more than double the number of migrant laborers in the country to 2.5 million by 2020 ahead of hosting the World Cup.

The Qatari response did not specifically address the kafala issue but earlier this month Abdullah bin Saleh Al-Khulaifi, minister of labor and social affairs, said he was “90 percent” certain it would be replaced by the end of 2015.