International Conference “Business and Human Rights Compliance – Challenges and Trends”

7th and 8th December 2017, Holiday Inn Sukhumvit, Bangkok

Jointly organized by CPG and the the Hanns Seidel Foundation

Agenda   Report   Photos  Material

Agenda

Thursday, 7 December 2017

Registration
Welcoming Words

“Business & human rights: Trends and developments in Asia”

Prof. Yasushi Higashizawa, Faculty of Law, Meijigakuin University, Tokyo
Dr. Matthew Mullen, Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies, Mahidol University, Bangkok
Jefferson R. Plantilla, Chief Researcher, Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center, Osaka
Saul Takahashi, Regional Researcher and Representative, Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, Tokyo

Coffee break

“Human rights compliance: Perspectives from the business world”

Assist. Prof. Dr. Roman Meinhold, Business Administration Division, Mahidol University, Bangkok
Dr. Netithorn Praditsarn, Vice President, Group Sustainability and Communications, CP Group Co. Ltd., and U.N. Global Compact contact person for Thailand

Lunch break

“Human rights and the environment: Monitoring the impacts in Southeast Asia”

Bo Bo, Myanmar Campaign Deputy Director, EarthRights International, Yangon
Maureen Harris, Southeast Asia Program Director, International Rivers, Bangkok
Dr. Carl Middleton, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok

Coffee break

“Watchdogs of human rights compliance: NGOs and the media”

Christopher Ng, Regional Secretary, UNI Global Union, Asia & Pacific, Singapore
Karin Wenger, South East Asia Correspondent, Swiss National Public Radio and Television (SRF), Bangkok
Hnin Wut Yee, Programme & Outreach Manager, Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business (MCRB), Yangon
Shin Young Chung, Attorney-at-law, Korean Transnational Corporation Watch, Advocates for Public Interest Law, Seoul

Friday, 8 December 2017

Registration

“The role of international organizations in human rights compliance”

Heike Alefsen, Regional Senior Human Rights Advisor, UN Development Group for the Asia and Pacific, Bangkok
Anna Platonova, Senior Programme Manager, International Organization for Migration, Mission in Thailand, Bangkok
Jerome Pons, Head of Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union to Thailand, Bangkok

 Coffee break

“Advising businesses: Steps for effective human rights compliance”

Pamela Kiesselbach, Senior Consultant, Herbert Smith Freehills LLP, Hong Kong
Bahtiar Manurung, Operations Director, Foundation for International Human Rights Reporting Standards (FIHRRST), Jakarta
Vincent Yambao, Sub-Regional Compliance Officer, Merck Group, Manila

Closing remarks

Report

On 7 and 8 December 2017, CPG, with the support of the Hanns Seidel Foundation (Thailand/Laos office) organized the international conference “Business and Human Rights Compliance – Challenges and Trends” at the Holiday Inn Sukhumvit in Bangkok.

The ever present human right challenges to business conduct in the ASEAN region have become more visible in recent years for a number of reasons. Issues like land-grabbing, expropriation, and displacement due to investment and infrastructure projects, environmental pollution, multiform abuse and exploitation of migrant workers, outright slavery and sub-standard work-safety standards are among the standard problems.

Decisively, all the human right violations at stake are insufficiently prevented on the ground. Efforts of Southeast Asian countries to complement the existing penal law frame by the enactment of more advanced anti-human-trafficking legislation (Malaysia 2007, Thailand 2008, Vietnam 2011, Singapore 2014) for instance have not decisively improved the situation not to speak of promises like the right to a safe, clean and sustainable development as being enshrined under article 28(f) of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration.

Nevertheless, in a number of countries in the region, the responsibility of multinational actors for their involvement in human right abuse is echoed by deliberations and reform discussions. Also, there is a changing awareness in the business sphere where Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategies and related compliance mechanisms are gradually being implemented to prevent liability and loss of reputation.

Against this background, the conference treated the topic from the perspectives of businesses, academia, non-governmental and civil society organizations and international organizations.

On Thursday, 7 December 2017, the first conference panel on “Business & human rights: Trends and developments in Asia” was opened by Prof. Yasushi Higashizawa, Faculty of Law, Meiji Gakuin University, Tokyo, who laid out the general international and Asian trends in the BHR field. He was followed by Dr. Matthew Mullen, Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies, Mahidol University, Bangkok. Dr. Mullen examined four evolving realms, i.e. state regulation, informal action, business and market led initiatives, and license-to-operate efforts. Then, Mr. Jefferson R. Plantilla, Chief Researcher, Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center, Osaka, laid out long-standing issues and currently developing challenges, particularly in the field of human rights training. Mr. Saul Takahashi, Regional Researcher and Representative, Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, Tokyo, then presented a critical assessment of the motivations and market realities influencing regulation and compliance with human rights.

The next panel on “Human rights compliance: Perspectives from the business world” consisted of Assist. Prof. Dr. Roman Meinhold, Business Administration Division, Mahidol University International College (MUIC), Bangkok, and Dr. Netithorn Praditsarn, Vice President, Group Sustainability and Communications, CP Group Co. Ltd., and U.N. Global Compact contact person for Thailand. Professor Meinhold examined ecosystems as business’ stakeholders by linking various sets of facts and arguments following a transdisciplinary-synthetic method. Dr. Netithorn presented the efforts, challenges and successes of the CP Group in Thailand in improving human rights standards in the production process and supply chain.

The first afternoon panel focused on “Human rights and the environment: Monitoring the impacts in Southeast Asia”. Mr. Bo Bo, Myanmar Campaign Deputy Director, EarthRights International, Yangon, spoke about the environmental vulnerabilities and violations of land rights in Myanmar, with a special focus on NGOs’ monitoring efforts. Ms. Maureen Harris, Southeast Asia Program Director, International Rivers, Bangkok, followed with a presentation on hydropower development in the Mekong (and Salween), the business actors involved, and the human rights impacts of dams. Then, Dr. Carl Middleton, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, addressed accountability challenges, particularly in the context of extraterritorial investments, and examples of the use of grievance mechanisms.

The following panel on “Watchdogs of human rights compliance: NGOs and the media” brought together NGO representatives of different backgrounds and a journalist. First, Mr. Christopher Ng, Regional Secretary, UNI Global Union, Asia & Pacific, Singapore, examined the role and significance of workers’ rights in the framework of the UN Guiding Principles as well as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Ms. Karin Wenger, South East Asia Correspondent, Swiss National Public Radio and Television (SRF), Bangkok, then presented concrete cases of human rights violations from various industries in India, Indonesia and Vietnam. Regarding perspectives for change, she particularly stressed the relevance of the public opinion and businesses’ fear of reputation losses. After that, Ms. Hnin Wut Yee, Programme & Outreach Manager, Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business (MCRB), Yangon, introduced her and other organizations’ efforts in monitoring business activities by demanding regular reporting from them. Finally, Ms. Shin Young Chung, Attorney-at-law, Korean Transnational Corporation Watch, Advocates for Public Interest Law, Seoul, presented her organization’s approach and successes in monitoring overseas business activities of Korean companies.

On Friday, 8 December 2017, the morning session was opened with a panel on “The role of international organizations in human rights compliance”. Ms. Heike Alefsen, Regional Senior Human Rights Advisor, UN Development Group for the Asia and Pacific, Bangkok, gave an overview of the current developments in the BHR field from the perspective of the United Nations, with a particular focus on the recent session of the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva. Next, Ms. Anna Platonova, Senior Programme Manager, International Organization for Migration (IOM), Mission in Thailand, Bangkok, presented successful initiatives to monitor and improve international hiring practices and to enhance the protection of migrant workers against exploitation. She was followed by Mr. Jerome Pons, Head of Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union to Thailand, Bangkok, who focused on the EU’s exercise of soft power in external economic relations and free trade in order to improve the protection of human rights in partner countries.

The last conference panel was titled “Advising businesses: Steps for effective human rights compliance” and consisted of Ms. Pamela Kiesselbach, Senior Consultant, Herbert Smith Freehills LLP, Hong Kong, Mr. Bahtiar Manurung, Operations Director, Foundation for International Human Rights Reporting Standards (FIHRRST), Jakarta, and Mr. Vincent Yambao, Sub-Regional Compliance Officer, Merck Group, Manila. Ms. Kiesselbach gave insightful accounts of the legal and compliance practice and the existing challenges when advising businesses on human rights compliance. Mr. Manurung presented the experiences, obstacles and successes of the implementation of a licensing and certification scheme in Indonesia’s fishery industry. Finally, Mr. Yambao provided insights into the practice of a compliance officer in a multi-national corporation and examined the financial and cross-cultural aspects of successful compliance management.

The panels were moderated by Dr. Duc Quang Ly and Dr. Lasse Schuldt, both CPG.

Photos

Material