Bill Clinton Speaks To Graduating Class At NYU Abu Dhabi, Raises Issue Of Labor Abuse On Campus

At the graduation ceremony, Clinton also noted he had received pressure not to attend because of the labor abuse associated with the new campus.

President Bill Clinton addressed the worker abuse controversy at New York University's new Abu Dhabi campus during his commencement speech there Sunday, telling students, "I'm betting NYU will make good on its word" to redress any exploitation of workers.

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Media and human rights reports have documented the continued abuse of migrant workers building NYU Abu Dhabi (and Abu Dhabi more generally), despite NYU's adoption of a code for labor standards. In his speech, Clinton also praised the Abu Dhabi government (which keeps tight control over media and political expression) and NYU's response to the allegations raised in a recent New York Times article on the abuse, and told students, “I wish the coverage this week had been about you."

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