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A few years ago, my eyes were opened

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to the dark side of the construction industry.

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In 2006, young Qatari students

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took me to go and see the migrant worker camps.

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And since then I've followed the unfolding issue of worker rights.

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In the last six months, more than 300 skyscrapers

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in the UAE have been put on hold or canceled.

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Behind the headlines that lay behind these buildings

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is the fate of the often-indentured construction worker.

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1.1 million of them.

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Mainly Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan

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and Nepalese, these laborers risk everything

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to make money for their families back home.

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They pay a middle-man thousands of dollars to be there.

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And when they arrive, they find themselves in labor camps with no water,

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no air conditioning, and their passports taken away.

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While it's easy to point the finger at local officials and higher authorities,

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99 percent of these people are hired by the private sector,

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and so therefore we're equally, if not more, accountable.

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Groups like Buildsafe UAE have emerged,

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but the numbers are simply overwhelming.

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In August 2008,

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UAE public officials noted

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that 40 percent of the country's 1,098 labor camps

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had violated minimum health and fire safety regulations.

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And last summer, more than 10,000 workers

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protested for the non-payment of wages,

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for the poor quality of food, and inadequate housing.

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And then the financial collapse happened.

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When the contractors have gone bust,

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as they've been overleveraged like everyone else,

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the difference is everything goes missing,

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documentation, passports,

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and tickets home for these workers.

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Currently, right now, thousands of workers are abandoned.

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There is no way back home.

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And there is no way, and no proof of arrival.

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These are the boom-and-bust refugees.

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The question is, as a building professional,

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as an architect, an engineer, as a developer,

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if you know this is going on,

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as we go to the sights every single week,

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are you complacent or complicit

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in the human rights violations?

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So let's forget your environmental footprint.

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Let's think about your ethical footprint.

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What good is it

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to build a zero-carbon, energy efficient complex,

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when the labor producing this architectural gem

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is unethical at best?

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Now, recently I've been told I've been taking the high road.

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But, quite frankly, on this issue,

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there is no other road.

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So let's not forget who is really paying the price of this financial collapse.

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And that as we worry about our next job in the office,

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the next design that we can get, to keep our workers.

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Let's not forget these men, who are truly dying to work.

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Thank you.

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(Applause)