Asia Pacific Region

GBI works with business practitioners in the Asia Pacific region to provide opportunities for practical discussions about human rights and help advance business practice.

We currently collaborate with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) to support business-to-business peer learning in India and South-East Asia. We organise regular workshops for a cross-industry group of business practitioners – including local colleagues and partners of GBI members – to exchange approaches, experiences and lessons learned on implementing respect for human rights in practice. These workshops also provide a forum for participants to learn about key trends and developments at a local level and around the world – and to discuss what they mean for business.

We have also partnered with local organisations to convene a number of larger business roundtables on human rights in India, Malaysia, Indonesia and China. These dialogues provided unique opportunities for national and multinational company representatives to discuss practical approaches to managing human rights issues at a local level.

You can read updates on business and human rights in the Asia Pacific region and access outputs from GBI's events below.

Recent developments include:

• In 2020, the Thai Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that in 2022, all companies that request approval for an IPO will be required to include in their public disclosure data information on respect for human rights in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and the Thai National Action Plan on business and human rights. From 2021, all companies listed in Thailand will also be required to do this.

• The Australian government has enacted the Modern Slavery Act 2018, which requires certain companies to publish an annual modern slavery statement that provides information about the risks of modern slavery in their operations and supply chains, as well as the actions taken to address those risks.

• In 2019, the Indian government published National Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct, which sets an expectation that companies will respect human rights in line with the UNGPs. In May 2021, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) issued a regulation requiring the top 1,000 listed companies to disclose their activities in a Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR). The BRSR format is based on the nine principles of the RBC Guidelines.

• A number of governments in the Asia Pacific region have developed – or are in the process of developing – National Action Plans (NAPs) on Business and Human Rights. In August 2018, South Korea published a NAP on the promotion and protection of human rights, which includes a chapter on business and human rights. In October 2019, Thailand became the first country in the Asia Pacific to publish a standalone NAP on business and human rights. It was followed by Japan, which published a NAP in October 2020. In September 2021, Pakistan published a NAP.  India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Mongolia are also in the process of developing a NAP.

UN regional forums on business and human rights in the Asia Pacific are held annually in South Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific. Access more information on:

• South and South East Asia Forums here.
• The UN Virtual Forum on Responsible Business and Human Rights Asia and the Pacific here.