18 August 2020

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[…] [T]he ASEAN Economic Community, has more or less completely ignored human rights issues. Recent years have seen the emergence of a growing number of forums on Business and Human Rights (BHR) within the region. […]

Perhaps most importantly, human rights principles are not found in the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint 2025, a strategy document outlining broad directions and strategic measures for the initiative from 2016 to 2025. […]

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ASEAN’s reluctance to accommodate human rights concerns within the ASEAN Economic Community is concerning because human rights ideas developed in ASEAN can produce a stronger commitment to human rights at the domestic level. […]

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In our view, the institutionalisation of business and human rights within ASEAN’s economic community framework is constrained by the fragmented nature of ASEAN’s governance. This fragmented governance stems from silo-isation within the organisation and, in relation to business and human rights issues specifically, ASEAN member states’ diversity of beliefs surrounding the UNGPs. […]

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Challenges at the regional level reflect the silo mentality in each ASEAN Community pillar and the lack of uniformity of ASEAN member states’ positions regarding business and human rights. […]

[…] For this, it is essential to ensure that before an international norm is promoted and proposed at the regional level, it has to be successfully internalised and implemented well at the domestic level by all member states.

One strategy to support the institutionalisation of business and human rights principles at the domestic level is through the initiation of collaboration between ASEAN member states and global partners, which have successfully integrated these principles into their business policies. […]