Since their unanimous endorsement by the UN Human Rights Council in 2011, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) have become the global standard for preventing and addressing adverse human rights impacts of business activities. So far, the Guiding Principles have had a significant impact. Throughout the past decade, the UNGPs have gained extensive support from States, businesses and civil society. States and international organizations have adopted definite actions to promote and implement the UNGPs, and a number of companies have made them an integral part of their operations and strategies.
Globalization has improved market access to multinational corporations (MNCs), increasingly exposing them to new forms of transnational social movements. It has also given impetus to the discussion of the responsibilities of businesses in the field of human rights, especially in the South-East Asia region which continues to be one of the most economically dynamic regions in the world. The fast growth of the private sector’s activity and dominance in the region and its effects on human rights have sparked a debate about the roles and obligations of business. As a result, the private sector has emerged as one of the central stakeholders in the region’s human rights dialogue. Among the various actors, the OHCHR Regional Office for South-East Asia has committed to a wide range of initiatives as part of its mandate to lead the UN system’s business and human rights agenda.
At first, there were fears that Southeast Asian countries with rapidly developing extractive industries would have felt prey to the “resource curse”, when countries with abundant natural resources tend to have less economic growth than countries without these natural resources. Despite the concerns, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has made tremendous progress in the field of corporate social responsibility and human rights. As listed below, many countries have taken steps towards developing and implementing national action plans (NAPs) on human rights due diligence in the business sector.
2021 marked the tenth anniversary of the UN Human Rights Council’s endorsement of the UNGPs. In June 2021, during a stop-taking exercise, the UN Working Group acknowledged some persistent gaps relevant to the Asian region. They first noted that States and businesses have developed and applied ineffective measures to prevent human rights abuses and address their impacts, often because of the lack of meaningful engagement and social dialogue with workers and people affected by business activities. Secondly, they outlined that there are still significant barriers to guarantee access to remedy for victims. Lastly, they pointed to a lack of policy coherence at governmental and multilateral levels and in business practices is slowing and hampering the process towards a more sustainable and just future. UNGPs are relevant not only to set standards at the international level, but they also provide guidelines for States to
develop their own National Action Plans, as was outlined by the Thai Representative. Especially after COVID-19 and developing countries, National Action Plans are critical tools given the low awareness of business and human rights agenda. Moreover, they play a key role in enhancing the scope for the commitment of all the actors involved and establishing remedy and grievance mechanisms to support the victims of business-related abuses.
This year has been an opportunity for Asian stakeholders to reflect and think for the way ahead.
In March 2021, the 2nd UN South Asia Forum on Business and Human Rights took place to raise awareness around business and human rights standards in South Asia. It aimed to explore linkages between the business and human rights agenda and the 2030 Agenda and to encourage peer-learning amongst governments, national employers’ organizations, trade unions, national human rights institutions (NHRIs), businesses, and civil society organizations (CSOs) in the region. In addition, the regional forum seeks to facilitate a strong and multi-stakeholder dialogue that will foster joint action to prevent, mitigate and remediate business-related human rights abuses and advance decent work in South Asia. During the second session, participants discussed many topics, including the impact of foreign legislation on mandatory human rights due diligence in South Asia, and focused on the situation in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Furthermore, various sessions were planned to address several issues, including rivers and pollution, the garment sector during COVID-19, and the rights of migrant workers.
Despite numerous signs of progress, there are still many gaps and obstacles that actors in Asia face. The only way to deal with the challenges that arise in Asia’s next decade of business and human rights will be to integrate top-down transformations with bottom-up ones. To guide global efforts on progressing BHR, the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights launched the Next Decade Project. Specifically focusing on the Asian region, the 10th Annual UN Forum on Business and Human Rights will take place from the 29th November to the 2nd December 2021 to launch the roadmap for the next decade.
Asian countries having published a NAP on human rights due diligence in the business sector:
To know more: https://peaceforasia.org/the-un-guiding-principles-on-business-human-rights/
Only a month back Taliban tortured and killed nine other Hazara men in the province of Ghazni (Pic 1).
Since the political upheaval, the Taliban has been on a killing spree, targeting the ethnic minority groups in deliberated attacks across the region.
Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard lamented on the event and said that “The cold-blooded brutality of these killings is a reminder of the Taliban’s past record, and a horrifying indicator of what Taliban rule may bring.
Ethnic and religious minorities are at grave risks, along with human rights defenders, journalists, professionals.”In May 2021, ISIS-K (Islamic State Khorasan) also targeted the Hazara Shia minority, such as the school bombing in Kabul that killed 68 people.
Al-Qaeda and affiliated groups as well have attacked Hazaras on multiple occasions, such as the suicide bombing attack that killed 58 Hazaras in neighboring Pakistan.
Hazaras are on every extremist group’s target list since they follow the Shiite school of thought, declared as heresy by the Sunni extremist groups.Who are Hazaras?The Hazara community constitutes of roundabout 10% to 20% of the total population of Afghanistan.
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This is the result that emerged from the latest survey by the Australian Human Rights Commission.
The Commission is preparing to accept the requests for a national inquiry, which will be conducted over the next 12 months, aimed at bringing out more evidence on the issue.
Sexual harassment at work in Australia would be on the rise. This is the alarm launched by the Australian Commissioner on Sexual Discrimination, Kate Jenkins.
