Bangkok (June 6-9th, 2023) —The United Nations Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum (UN RBHR) on the Asia-Pacific region from 6th to 9th June 2023. The forum aimed to promote responsible business practices in relation to human rights, bringing together stakeholders such as governments, civil society organizations, human rights defenders, and trade unions. The forum theme was 'From Commitment to Action'.

The Opening Plenary of the event was moderated by Livio Sarandrea, UNDP's Business and Human Rights Global Policy Advisor, and the keynote speaker was Ms. Angkhana Neelapaijit, a women's human rights defender. The opening remarks were give by Ms. Pichamon Yeophantong, H.E. Mr Jon Åström Gröndahl, Mr. Aziz Iqbal, Ms. Farah Kabir, and Ms. Emiko Nagasawa.

The first remarks were given by Ms. Pichamon Yeophantong, the Chairperson and Member of the Asia-Pacific States on the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, who emphasized that sustainable development cannot be implemented without respecting human rights because human rights are a predicament for developing the SDG.

H.E. Mr. Jon Åström Gröndahl, the Swedish Ambassador to Thailand, discussed the importance of developing effective National Action Plans on Business and Human Rights (NAPs) and highlighted corruption as an under-discussed topic.

Mr. Aziz Iqbal, Deputy Director at the Ministry of Human Rights, Government of Pakistan, also shared insights on developing an effective NAP.

Ms. Farah Kabir, the Country Director of Action Aid Bangladesh, emphasized that businesses should not wait for government responses to implement respect for human rights.

Ms. Emiko Nagasawa, Senior Adviser in Labor Legislation of Bureau Keidanren, then concluded the remarks, emphasizing the need for stakeholder cooperation in implementing respect for human rights.

On the second day, we met with Mr. David William, who served as the moderator on the Decent Work in Supply Chains session, which focused on the shortcomings of supply chains in providing decent work. Various sectors were discussed, including agri-food, garments and textiles, electronics, and automotive manufacturing.

Overall, the forum highlighted the importance of policy coherence, multi-stakeholder cooperation, and a 'smart mix' of policy and regulatory initiatives in promoting responsible business. It also emphasized the groups at heightened risk of abuses, such as Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, and displaced persons, taking an intersectional and interdisciplinary approach to implementing the UNGPs in the Asia-Pacific region. The event concluded with the closing plenary.

After the closing plenary, we also met with Ms. Pichamon, and Professor Surya Deva, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development. We are looking forward to the next RBHR forum and putting more commitments into action.