Session Description:
The Forum will feature sessions which focus specifically on certain countries in South Asia, namely Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Each session will take note of both similarities and unique differences of each country, and gather a wide range of stakeholders, including Governments, employers’ organizations, trade unions, national human rights institutions, businesses, civil society organizations, and academia. These sessions will feature an interactive workshop-style format where participants can engage with each other to identify progress, challenges, and needs in moving business and human rights agendas forward in said countries. The inputs provided during the session will be collected and submitted to the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights. These submissions will serve as inputs to the Business and Human Rights: Towards a Decade of Global Implementation project, and used in elaborating a roadmap for progressing business and human rights more widely and more broadly between now and 2030. As such, the inputs provided by participants will be instrumental taking stock of progress and identifying pathways for responsible business in South Asia.
Session Objectives:
The key objectives of this session are to:
- Enable speakers and participants to engage with each other and reflect on progress, pertinent challenges and opportunities relating to business and human rights in each country
- Identify country-specific needs in progressing business and human rights, and collectively elaborate country roadmaps
Questions:
Participants will try to answer the following questions:
- What are most pressing business and human rights issues in your country? Identify 3-5 issues.
- What are key obstacles and drivers that need to be addressed to promote the business and human rights agenda in your country? Identify at least 2 of each.
- Provide at least 3 concrete recommendations for your country to ensure that businesses respect human rights and are held accountable for abuses.
- What are the key stakeholders in your country to promote the business and human rights agenda? Try to identify 3-5 specific organizations or government departments.
Format:
Part One: Setting the Scene (30 minutes)
Panelists will reflect on the current state of business and human rights within their respective countries. This will set the context for subsequent group discussions.
Part Two: Developing Country Roadmaps (45 minutes)
Participants will be divided into groups and asked to reflect on, and provide answers to, the questions listed above.
Part Three: Presentations (30 minutes)
Each group will present their findings.
Part Four: Conclusion (15 minutes)
Panelists will provide their conclusions based on the inputs provided by participants.
Background:
South Asia has made encouraging progress on business and human rights by taking specific initiatives to implement the UNGPs in the recent past: India launched the zero draft of its National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights and released the National Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct in early 2019; Pakistan started the process of developing its National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights; the Governments of Nepal and the Maldives are considering including sections on business and human rights in their National Action Plans on Human Rights. Non-state initiatives to promote the implementation of the UNGPs, including by the private sector, are underway in several States, including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Moreover, South Asian Governments, in collaboration with businesses, are taking various measures to achieve the SDGs and implement the ILO MNE Declaration to advance decent work.
However, despite the encouraging progress, there are many human rights challenges in business operations and different levels of progress by governments and businesses in implementing the UNGPs in South Asia. To ensure the regional momentum, it is critical for all relevant stakeholders – Governments, employers’ organizations, trade unions, national human rights institutions, businesses, civil society organizations, and academia – to work together in preventing, mitigating and remediating the adverse impact of business activities on human and labour rights.
