United Nations Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum, Asia-Pacific

Held annually, the UN RBHR Forum convenes various stakeholders in the Asia-Pacific, including governments, civil society organizations, human rights defenders, trade unions, business enterprises, industry associations, employers’ organizations, international organizations, national and regional human rights institutions, journalists, lawyers, activists and campaigners, and academia, for constructive dialogue and peer-learning on how to strengthen responsible business and corporate accountability in the region.

The UNGPs and the Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy (MNE Declaration) will serve as the central instruments and a foundation for the Forum to explore good practices and complementary strategies for governments, businesses, rights holders, and other social partners to leverage in promoting responsible business. Accordingly, in addition to raising awareness about these two instruments as well as related legislation and guidelines such as the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the Forum will identify practical solutions and effective ways forward to actualize and advance responsible business that can make a real difference in the lives of peoples in the region.

The Forum will be held on 6-9 June 2023, co-organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO), International Organization for Migration (IOM), Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), and the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights (UNWG).

Objectives

• Raise awareness and strengthen capacity in relation to the implementation of the UNGPs and the MNE Declaration into the next decade

• Take stock of the progress and challenges in promoting responsible business practices in the Asia-Pacific region and reflect on the lessons learnt to scale up progress

• Create an inclusive space for multi-stakeholder dialogue and facilitate peer-to-peer learning and promote collaboration and networking among a wide range of stakeholders, including rights holders, governments, businesses and industry associations, national human rights institutions, civil society organizations, trade unions, human rights defenders, academia, lawyers, and journalists

Programme

The Forum programme is available on www.rbhrforum.com. The Forum will be held in person in Bangkok, Thailand, and will be live-streamed online.

Side events

Each year, the UNRBHR Forum provides a platform for side events, including sector-specific trainings and safe space sessions and side sessions organized by partners. 

Queries

For general queries, please reach out to the Forum Secretariat at unrbhrforum@undp.org.

For queries related to sessions and speakers, please contact Harpreet Kaur, Business and Human Rights Specialist, UNDP (harpreet.kaur@undp.org), and copying Kevin Lehmann, Business and Human Rights Analyst, UNDP (kevin.lehmann@undp.org).