Kuala Lumpur, 10 November 2014 — On Monday 10 November, the Malaysian National Human Rights Commission, SUHAKAM, together with UNDP Malaysia, held a roundtable discussion for business on Business & Human Rights at the Sheraton Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. The event forms part of a series of roundtables through which SUHAKAM is drafting a framework for Malaysia’s National Action Plan to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights.
HRRC’s Michelle Staggs Kelsall was asked to give a regional overview of the business and human rights situation in ASEAN as part of the discussion. The keynote address was given by Caroline Rees of Shift, who noted the importance of many regional developments in ASEAN for the global landscape, most notably developments pertaining to the stock exchanges’ sustainability indices in the region. Malaysia’s Chair of ASEAN in 2015 may provide an important avenue for SUHAKAM to build regional momentum around the adoption of National Action Plans amongst ASEAN’s six NHRIs, as well as in the broader Asia-Pacific.
