ACVCSCiASIA.ORG, JAKARTA – Recently, ACV/CSCi Asia in collaboration with KSBSI held a regional seminar and strategy development workshop on “Human Rights Due Diligence: How to Implement and Use HRDD in Asia and the Importance of Social Protection for Workers in Global Supply Chains in a Just Transitional Era”. This event taken place from 6 – 7 July 2023 at the Golden Boutique Hotel, Jakarta.
The seminar aims to discuss the importance of due diligence on human rights in relation to workers rights in the supply chain to see how its respect to the labor norms implementation.
The seminar explored the understanding Human Rights Due Diligence including regulations in some countries like France, Switzerland, Germany or EU directive, sharing trade union good practices, elaborating existing initiatives in Asian countries is diverse session served interestingly.
Then the importance of Social Protection and how to strengthen it in the Just Transition era is second issue with specific area of platform workers and workers affected by climate change that are urgently need social protection scheme at proper way.
In recent decades multinational corporations have developed ways to organize production and trade through global supply chains, and to manage assets through global wealth chains.
This evolution has made possible the exploitation of labor and natural resources through globalization and digital technologies, which involve value creation and wealth accumulation. According to an OXFAM report, the world’s ten richest people multiplied their wealth from $700 billion to $1.5 trillion—at a rate of $15,000 per second or $1.3 billion a day—during the first two years of the pandemic, against 99 percent of people’s incomes falling and more than 160 million people were forced into poverty. This shows how unequally income is distributed across the global population.
Apple, for example, made history in 2018 by becoming the first trillion-dollar company. Apple’s value is 4.4 times greater than Belgium’s GDP. Microsoft is worth 2 times greater than Indonesia’s GDP. The comparison clearly highlights the increasing power of the MNE. As the world becomes increasingly connected, the sky is the limit for the growth of large companies.
The ITUC report says that sixty percent of global trade in the real economy depends on the supply chains of our large companies, which use business models based on exploitation and human rights violations in their supply chains.
“Unfortunately, in Asia, awareness of HRDD has so far not been a serious concern. I hope this workshop can improve that situation. We need to strengthen the capacity of trade unions in Asia to use HRDD mechanisms effectively.” explained Elly Rosita as the co host of the seminar.
The workshop will provide participants with the skills, tools and knowledge they need to enhance skills in the employment-related human rights area and a core element of effective HRDD.
“We will review several international frameworks such as the ILO’s MNE Declaration and UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, as well as some good practices in human rights due diligence by trade union partners from different countries and sectors.” said Maria Emeninta, the regional coordinator if ACV/CSCi in Asia.
This workshop will help and benefit participants in understanding the principles of international labor standards and due diligence related to labor rights, and how these principles can be applied most effectively at the factory level.
Present invited international guests at the Seminar including, Stijn Sintubin-ACV/CSC-Belgium, Laura Eliaerts-ACV/CSC-Belgium, Paapa Danguah-ITUC-Belgium, Jeroen Roskams-WSM-Belgium, Sara Caustermains-WSM-Belgium, Bruno Deceukelier-WSM-Nepal, Patuan Samosir-ITUC AP-Singapore, Anna Tuvera-ITUC AP-Singapore, Akiko Gono-RENGO/ITUC-Japan, Ronaldo Mangampo Adonis-KMU-Phillippine, Mary Ann Castillo-KMU-Phillippine, Julius Cainglet-FFW-Phillippine, Heng Chenda-CLC-Cambodia, Khong Athit-CCAWDU-Cambodia, Chhorn Sokkhoneu’s-CCAWDU-Cambodia, Sok Kin-BWTUC-Cambodia, Sohrab Ali-GBGWF-Bangladesh, Sultana Begum-GBGWF-Bangladesh, Md. Elias-GBGWF-Bangladesh, Hang Thung Hoang-VGCL-Vietnam, Sylvain Goldstein-CGT-France.(RED/Handi)
