From Our Member Community Resource Centre Foundation (CRC), Thailand – Discussion on National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights « FORUM-ASIA

The event was hosted by the ETO Watch Coalition, International Commission of Jurists, Forum Asia, Community Resources Centre Foundation and the United Nations Development Program. Experts on Business and Human Rights recommended that prior proceed with NAP2, NAP1 should be assessed regarding its achievement and the mechanism to regulate the businesses and their action on human rights due diligence.

The cross-border investment and multi-national enterprises is one of the NAP Priority. Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) recommended that a stronger mechanism to reinforce human rights due diligence of Thai investors operating abroad should be in place. While the One-Report* is in place for the companies registered at the Stock Exchange of Thailand that required human rights due diligence, however, a mechanism to assess if the human rights due diligence are applied and what the key result does not exist.

In terms of compensation and remedies, CSOs and community representatives recommended that there should be a fund set up before the construction of the development project. Impacted communities should have access to this fund, it is not necessary to wait until impacts already occurred at the operation of the project.

“The businesses should commit to carry out human rights’ due diligence. A stronger mechanism to monitor if HRDD carried out and applied should be established so that we know if the businesses really commit to mitigate the environmental and social impacts”, Sor.Rattanamanee Polkla, Community Resources Centre Foundation.

There should be an information disclosure about supply chain of the company who invest in Thailand and Thai company investor aboard. The principle of transparency and accountability is key for the operation of businesses. The communities should have an opportunity to access to this information. This is one way to check if the businesses really commit to the principle of transparency.

CSOs and community representatives recommended that a stronger indicator to measure success of NAP1 is required. Some of the indicators are vague and it does not indicate any achievement of NAP at all. Revising those indicators are required including a monitoring mechanism to measure success in NAP.

From the result of the consultation today, the Ministry of Justice has decided to extend the deadline for receiving CSO comments regarding NAP2.