ILO successfully co-organized the 6th UN Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum, Asia-Pacific

From 24 – 27 September 2024, the ILO co-organized the 6th United Nations Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum, Asia-Pacific, in Bangkok, Thailand, together with IOM, OHCHR, UNICEF, UNDP, UN Women, UNEP, and the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights (UNWG). This year’s theme 'The Remedy Blueprint: Bridging Gaps and Accelerating Access' explored practical and innovative approaches to remedy for rights holders and how to enhance the effectiveness of grievance mechanisms. Approximately 1,700 participants attended the Forum, either in person or online. 

ILO led and participated in various sessions:

• On 25 September 2024, the ILO led the session, Effective Remediation and Sustained Compliance in the World of Work, moderated by Ms Githa Roelans, Head, Multinational Enterprises and Responsible Business Conduct Unit (MULTI/RBC), ILO HQ, Geneva. This session delved into the multifaceted landscape of remedy mechanisms in the world of work, addressing the challenges of ensuring effective remediation and access to labour justice, while showcasing successful examples of their implementation.

  During this session, Mr Eun Chul Kim, Standing Member, Korea National Labour Relation Commission discussed the challenges and evolving approaches of the Commission in enhancing access to remedy for workers, particularly through the use of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms (ADR), a digital platform for easier access, and a focus on fair, reliable, and speedy mediation processes to address a broad range of labour disputes.

  Ms Cicilia Tri Sulistyawati, Head, People & Culture Business Partners and Industrial & Employee Relations, PT. HM Sampoerna Tbk, representing the Indonesian Employers Association (APINDO), highlighted the challenges multinational enterprises face in ensuring access to remedy within complex supply chains, emphasising the importance of strong management commitment, effective grievance mechanisms needing to be built on trust, regular training to encourage workers to speak up, and transparency in reporting to address cultural and legal differences across diverse regions.

  Mr Veasna Nuon, Country Manager, Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA Cambodia discussed the challenges workers in Cambodia face regarding access to remedy, including precarious employment relations, weak labour governance, and a lack of freedom of association, while highlighting the importance of collective bargaining and the involvement of global brands in supporting local initiatives to improve grievance mechanisms dealing with labour rights violations while underlying the importance of collective bargaining as a preventative mechanism for violations.

  Ms Valkyrie Hanson, Supply Chain Coordinator, ILO Regional Office Asia and the Pacific, highlighted the ILO approach to Strategic Compliance Planning (SCP). She emphasised that labour inspectorates play a crucial complementary role in SCP by providing preventative assistance and enforcement, while emphasizing the need for dialogue with employers and workers to identify systemic barriers to compliance and enhance access to remedy through targeted interventions.

  The session concluded by underscoring how collaboration among governments, employers, workers, international organisations, and labour administration and inspectors can ensure sustained, effective remediation and compliance in the evolving world of work.

• On 26 September 2024, the ILO led the session, A Safe and Healthy Working Environment: How to get there?, moderated by Dr Yuka Ujita, Senior Specialist on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), ILO Regional Office Asia and the Pacific. The session focused on promoting safe and healthy working environments, with an emphasis on building the capacity and enabling environment for supporting workers’ actions at both national and workplace levels. Following the presentation of Ms Mi Zhou, Chief Technical Advisor, Ship to Shore Rights in Southeast Asia on the decent work deficits in the fishing industry, the participants were engaged in the exercise on hazard identification and control.  It was followed by the insights of the tripartite plus panellists on the challenges impeding access to OSH services and effective remedy mechanisms, as well as the good practices that have proven successful in addressing these issues.

  Ms Rhodora B. Snyder, Senior Manager, Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) highlighted the organization's efforts to enhance workplace safety and health through targeted OSH training for MSMEs, young workers, and the rural sector, following the legal requirement. ECOP has also partnered with sectoral business organizations and developed a self-assessment checklist to help businesses improve compliance and responsible business conduct in collaboration with the ILO's SCORE programme.

  Ms. Hyewon Chong, Executive Director, International Department, Korean Metal Workers Union highlighted, by sharing a case, the outsourcing of risks to smaller, under-resourced suppliers and called for stronger corporate accountability and the need to address disguised employment relationships in industries like shipbuilding.

  Mr Kun Sambath, Deputy Director, Department of Employment and Manpower, Cambodian Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MLVT) underscored proactive measures to protect migrant workers' rights through community-level training and support services. He emphasized the challenges migrant workers face in accessing compensation and called for stronger coordination between sending and receiving countries to improve remediation procedures.

  Ms Phenpiccha Jankomol, Project Coordinator, Human Rights and Development Foundation (HRDF) detailed HRDF's efforts in assisting migrant workers and their families in accessing justice, suggesting the enhanced labour inspection in Thailand's fisheries, and the ratification of ILO's Work in Fishing Convention No. 188 to strengthen workers' rights.

  The session concluded with a call for ongoing coordination and collaboration among governments, employers, workers, and civil society organizations to ensure equal access to services and remedies for all workers, while prioritizing safe and healthy work environments globally.

• On 24 September 2024, the ILO, UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, and OECD jointly delivered a training on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the ILO MNE Declaration, and OECD MNE Guidelines with a Focus on Access to Remedy. The training highlighted the common approaches and expectations included in the three international instruments on responsible business conduct. Each organisation presented the main features of their international instrument and its practical application with a specific focus on access to remedy. The session also provided participants with practical tools, resources, and guidance on RBC in general and access to remedy in particular. The session was very well-received by participants from businesses, governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations, and civil society, who welcomed the in-depth presentation of the common expectations of the three leading international instruments and their complementarity including access to remedy.
• In a collaborative effort, the ILO, Global Business School Network (GBSN), University of Geneva, and Winrock International hosted a side session, ‘Accelerating the Integration of Labour Rights in Management Education in Asia-Pacific’. During the session, the newly developed teaching materials for business schools “The Fair Recruitment of Migrant Workers,” was launched. This teaching material was created under the ILO-GBSN-UNIGE Memorandum of Understanding. The participants discussed initiatives in the AP region aimed at enhancing labour rights education in business schools, notably through partnerships between higher education institutions and collaborations with international organizations and civil society organizations. ILO also highlighted the recent training of business schools in the MENA region, organized in May 2024. Participants also reflected on future steps to advance this initiative, including the establishment of regional alliances among business schools dedicated to corporate sustainability.