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Business and Human Rights: Global Trends and Southeast Asian Experiences
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About this book
About this book
As human rights abuses caused by state and corporate activity increasingly attract global concern, “business and human rights” has gained significant attention. The greatest challenge lies in the “governance gap”—neither investing developed countries nor developing countries receiving investment are able to effectively control the adverse human rights impacts generated by cross‑border economic activities. This book traces how the “UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights,” created to address this gap and unanimously endorsed by the UN Human Rights Council in 2011, have evolved in practice. It examines global trends such as policy shifts, the convergence of human-rights and environmental issues, and progress toward treaty-making. It also investigates how the UNGPs are being implemented in the Global South which is gaining greater international influence—particularly in Southeast Asia. Research in “business and human rights” spans multiple disciplines, approaches, and the intersection of theory, policy, and practice. The book is intended for academics, policymakers, businesses, and engaged citizens.
Contents
Preface
Introduction
Global Trends in “Business and Human Rights” and Asia
Chapter 1
Viewing the Guiding Principles through the Lens of Trade and Labour Relations
Author: Ryusuke Tanaka
Chapter 2
Labour, Human Rights, and Sustainable Certification
Author: Etsuyo Michida
Chapter 3
“Business and Human Rights” in Thailand: The Second NAP Formulation Process
Author: Miwa Yamada
Chapter 4
National Action Plans on Business and Human Rights: How Indonesia’s National Strategy Was Developed
Author: Ayako Watanabe
Chapter 5
Human‑Rights Issues Facing Vietnamese Migrant Workers: Mechanisms Behind Rising Pre‑Departure Costs
Author: Futaba Ishizuka
Chapter 6
“Business and Human Rights” in Cambodia: Government Initiatives and the Potential for Corporate Engagement
Author: Naomi Hatsukano
Preface
Preface
“Business and human rights” is both an old and new theme. After 30 years of debate within the United Nations, the UN Human Rights Council unanimously endorsed the “UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights” in 2011. What they require to business is simple: “Refrain from causing or contributing the adverse human rights impacts associated with your economic activity. If you cause or contribute to the harm, provide remedy.” The real challenge is how to make this a reality.
In summer 2025 in Bangkok, the UN agencies co‑organized “Responsible Business and Human Rights Asia-Pacific Forum.” Approximately 1,000 participants from around 90 countries and regions—from government, business, civil society, and academia—attended in person, engaging in 90 parallel sessions. Issues included labour rights violations of workers particularly migrant workers, human-rights harms associated with digital technologies, adverse human-rights impacts of climate change and countermeasures, and attacks on human rights defenders and shrinking civic space due to suppression of free expression. These are structural, systemic risks that no single country or company can solve alone. Cross‑border cooperation is essential.
What resonate earnestly at the forum were voices of people whose rights have been infringed by economic activity: workers suffering health impacts in unsafe workplaces; Indigenous peoples displaced and deprived of livelihoods by development projects; human rights defenders threatened for raising environmental and human‑rights issues. Are we truly listening to them? Do we understand the realities on the ground? When setting agendas, designing countermeasures, and creating policies on “business and human rights,” we must adopt approaches centred on those affected—workers, Indigenous peoples, human and environmental rights defenders, women, migrants, youth, persons with disabilities. The rights‑holders must be placed at the core. That is precisely why the UN Guiding Principles were created.
As editor, I personally witnessed a seafood processing factory in Thailand where Myanmar workers endured harsh conditions in a facility connected to Japanese corporate supply chains. That experience led me to the international framework of the UN Guiding Principles. Research on “business and human rights” is deeply tied to area studies that understand the field and local areas and spans multiple disciplines—making it a theme particularly well suited to the Institute of Developing Economies, our institute.
This book is the final output of the two‑year joint research project “Business and Human Rights—Global Trends and Asia,” conducted at IDE beginning in 2023.
I was fortunate that experts in law, economics, and country‑specific field research joined the study. Many individuals—government bodies, international organizations, research institutions, businesses, and civil‑society groups—supported our fieldwork through interviews and information-sharing. Although I cannot list each person by name, I wish to express my sincere gratitude. I also extend deep thanks to my colleagues in the IDE Publications Office, who supported the book through to publication.
In Europe, where human rights due diligence is advancing and mandatory requirements are being introduced, there are signs of backlash—claims that excessive obligations burden companies and harm business competitiveness. In the United States, anti‑ESG (environmental, social, and governance) and anti‑DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) policies are progressing openly at the presidential level. Japan will revise its National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights this year. When government messaging is unstable, companies may be confused. But what truly matters is what is occurring on the ground. Companies must understand how their activities affect society, the environment, and people on the ground; prevent and address any adverse impacts; and ensure access to remedy for those harmed. That is what enables sustainable economic growth.
Research in “business and human rights” covers diverse themes and requires multiple disciplines and approaches. I hope this book contributes—even modestly—to that ongoing deepening and evolution.
Editor
October 2025