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Article

4 Sep 2017

Author:
Hannah Koh, Eco-business

Singapore: Companies commit to address specific issues like inclusiveness and children's rights; "human rights" term deemed outdated

"Is the term 'human rights' outdated?", 5 September 2017

The term “human rights” may have reached the end of its lifespan, it was suggested at this year’s Global Compact Network Singapore Summit...

...Progressive companies are committing to specific issues such as gender equality, children’s rights and water conservation.

...Sustainability consultant Ken Hickson proposed that it was a “mistake in this day and age” to use the term human rights.

He said: “Business is taking the lead in talking about specific issues like child labour and gender equality. Wouldn’t we be better off, certainly in Asia and Southeast Asia, to forget the terminology of human rights and focus on specific areas like gender, race, inclusiveness and equality?”

The...answer from representatives of multinational companies on the panel was yes.

In contrast...Southeast Asian governments have only started talking about human rights over the last decade after years of adhering to a policy of non-intervention and non-interference, according to Singapore’s representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, Barry Desker.

Desker said a better approach to human rights, in the context of Singapore, would be to recognise that the government, businesses, civil society and trade unions should all contribute to the human rights agenda and “it shouldn’t just be the government that initiates and decides the way forward”. 

“At the same time, governments can play a role in setting standards to guide companies, craft policies to encourage responsible business practice and corporate social responsibility, lead by example through state-linked companies, and support interaction by stakeholders by providing the necessary platforms,” he added.