1st UN Pacific Forum on Business and Human Rights

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Keynote address by Hon. Attorney-General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, of the Republic of Fiji.

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The session will be run as an interactive workshop to raise awareness amongst the Pacific Forum participants about the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), the authoritative global standard in the business and human rights field. It will also show linkages between the UNGPs and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how the national action plans on business and human rights could facilitate a synergy between the two.

This session aims to:

• Introduce key concepts as well as the respective obligations of states and responsibilities of businesses under the UNGPs;
• Explore linkages between the UNGPs and the SDGs; and
• Discuss how implementing that UNGPs may contribute to overcoming business and human rights challenges in the Pacific region and in turn achieving inclusive and sustainable development.

Session organized by UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights.

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From extreme storms, to rising sea levels and scorching temperatures, communities and countries across the Pacific region are already experiencing the devastating physical impacts and human rights consequences of our rapidly warming climate. In this session you will hear from communities, governments and business across the region who are ‘not drowning, but fighting,’ using a range of strategies, from diplomacy and adaptation, to legal tactics and protest, to confront climate change.

Responsibility for the primary causes of climate change – the extraction and burning of fossil fuels – is highly asymmetrical across the region, making this a thorny geopolitical issue. Companies active in countries like Australia and Papua New Guinea, aided by governments, continue to expand fossil fuels production, at the expense of human rights across the region. This session will address that asymmetry through the lens of climate justice.

This session aims to:

• Highlight the connections between corporate activity, atmospheric conditions and human rights impacts;
• Build solidarity across the region among communities and countries leading the fight for climate justice;
• Share knowledge of different strategies and tactics being used to seek protection and respect for human rights in a climate change context, and pursue remedy;
• Reinforce the need for business to work with communities and governments across the Pacific region to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Session organized by Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR)

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The session focuses on the corruption impact on business and human rights issues and case studies relevant to the Pacific region. Key business and human rights challenges in the Pacific will be addressed, as well as expectations for companies to carry out human rights due diligence, creating incentives through public procurement, and taking steps to ensure a ‘bouquet of remedies’ is available to victims. Panelists will also discuss opportunities to promote responsible business conduct in the Pacific.

This session aims to:

• Increase awareness of the interplay between business-related human rights abuses and corruption in general;
• Enhanced knowledge of the impacts of COVID-19 being felt by the Pacific through a human rights and corruption lens;
• Consider ways to encourage business enterprises to conduct human rights due diligence in consultation with civil society organizations, trade unions and human rights defenders.

Key questions:

• Would improving governance frameworks and increasing anti-corruption measures reduce business-related human rights abuses from occurring?
• What affect has COVID-19 had on human-rights in the Pacific?
• What are some key steps governments and civil society actors can take to reduce business-related human rights abuses?

Session organized by United Nations Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption (UN-PRAC) Project.

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In an era of compound and consecutive disasters, Pacific Island Countries (PICs) face an elevated risk of experiencing a natural hazard combined with the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. Although the successful containment of COVID-19 at borders has allowed most PICs to remain virus free, and to avert a full-scale lockdown and forced closure of businesses, the immense indirect socioeconomic impact of the global pandemic will have long-lasting effects on the livelihoods and resilience of communities across the region.

Businesses remain at the forefront of experiencing the global crisis. Their resilience and ability to bounce back is fundamental for the socio-economic well-being of communities across the region. This session will examine how small businesses and the informal sector have endured the global pandemic until now, and the role of the government, chambers of commerce and other actors in enhancing their resilience to compound and consecutive disasters going forward.

This session aims to:

• Build an understanding of how the global pandemic has impacted small businesses in the Pacific, including their response, and business continuity and recovery plans until now.
• Explore the roles and responsibilities of the government, private sector (including chambers of commerce), CSOs and other stakeholders in supporting the resilience and recovery of small businesses and the informal sector going forward.
• Explore opportunities to improve the support available to the informal sector in the face of disasters, where access to information, insurance coverage, and the protection of fundamental rights of workers and other vulnerable groups is most lacking.

Session organized by UNDRR Pacific Sub-Regional Office.

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Women[1] and girls, whether as employees, community members, local leaders, or human rights defenders, face higher risks and are disproportionately affected by adverse business activities and operations. They experience violence and discrimination because of harmful social norms, gender stereotypes, inequalities, and patriarchy; and face additional barriers in seeking access to effective remedies. In many instances business and corporations may reproduce and perpetuate gender inequality and discriminatory social norms.

The risks and impact of business related human rights abuses on women and girls are aggravated when gender intersects with other identities such as sexual orientation, gender expression, ethnicity, indigenous status, language, class, age, disability, and living in rural area.

Women and girls living in the Pacific are particularly at risk due to weak governance structures, lack of gender-sensitive human rights due diligence, corruption, entrenched gender inequalities and endemic gender-based violence. The gender differentiated impact of business-related human rights abuses have not been adequately included in discourse and efforts are being undertaken to ensure Pacific women’s and girl’s experiences and voices are heard.

This session aims to:

• highlight the challenges and impact of business activities and operations on Pacific women and girls
• provide a platform for further dialogue on gender, business and human rights
• raise sensitivity among all stakeholders about the need to adopt a gender perspective in implementing the UNGPs

[1] All reference to women and girls includes transwomen and queer people that identify as women and girls.

* The term “gender” refers to socially constructed roles of and power relations among men, women, and gender non-binary persons, all of whom may be affected differently by business activities.

Session organized by Roshika Deo.

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There are documented impacts on human rights at every stage of the plastics life cycle. Such impacts can be disproportionate to the livelihoods of individuals who are dependent on the ecosystem of the Pacific Ocean.

During this session, panelists from diverse backgrounds and sectors will come together for the first time, to present their work and reflect how the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights can contribute to tackle plastic pollution in the Pacific.

This session aims to:

• Show intersections between human rights and pollution from plastics in the Pacific region.
• Discuss how a rights-based approach applied to the whole life cycle of plastics is necessary to prevent and redress the human rights impacts of plastic.
• Discuss the duties and responsibilities of actors such as Governments and the private sector, and in reference to protection, discuss how to respect and redress communities in the Pacific affected by plastic pollution.
• Highlight how Indigenous Peoples from the Pacific are using Traditional Knowledge to reduce the need for plastic and mitigate harms from plastic pollution.

Session organized by Center for International Environmental Law, Environmental Investigation Agency,  Massey University, and WWF-Pacific. 

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While the extractives sector is an important contributor to the economies of several Pacific countries, it has also been associated with severe adverse impacts including human rights violations, pollution, social disruption and exacerbated inequalities. What are extractive companies and producing countries doing to prevent and mitigate these kinds of risks? What are some of the major issues currently playing out in the region?

The session will explore key themes related to the extraction of minerals, metals, oil and gas in the Pacific region. Topics covered will include, for example, indigenous peoples’ rights, gender equality, governance and accountability, grievance and remedy, tailings disposal, and seabed mining and deep sea mining. The session will include a diversity of perspectives and encourage an open discussion of the realities facing Pacific countries, local communities, companies, and other stakeholders.

This session aims to:

• Highlight some of the key issues related to extractives activities in the Pacific – including both current and proposed operations;
• Encourage open and constructive dialogue on the challenges involved in ensuring responsible practices in the extractives sector in the region; and
• Set out specific recommendations for key actors (including industry and governments) to take action to improve the uptake of responsible practices.

Session organized by Responsible Mining Foundation. 

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This session will explore the critical role of business in realising the 2030 Agenda, the importance of the UNGPs as a framework that can guide and provide a level playing field for businesses – and the challenges of promoting and applying the UNGPs in the specific context of the Pacific.

Experiences in localising the SDGs will be shared and the panel and session participants will discuss how the UNGPs can also be best localised to the Pacific in the context of COVID-recovery and the imperative to build-back better.

This session aims to:

• Explore the linkages between the UNGPs and SDGs;
• Build awareness of the right to development, UNGPs and SDGs;
• Enable multi-stakeholder dialogue; and
• Identify some recommendations for localising the UNGPs to the Pacific.

Session organized by The Diplomacy Training Program.

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The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) are the authoritative global standard to promote business respect for human rights. Several states in Asia have been taking steps to implement the UNGPs by developing a national action plan on business and human rights (NAP) or by taking other legal-policy measures. Various business enterprises are also responding to growing expectations of stakeholders to respect human rights by conducting human rights due diligence. However, the progress in the Pacific region has been slow so far. This session will examine different pathways for states in the Pacific to implement the UNGPs and make linkages with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It will also discuss why state and businesses should take seriously the business and human rights agenda.

This session aims to:

• Explore different pathways for the Pacific states to implement the UNGPs;
• Learn from the experience of other states in Asia to implement the UNGPs by developing a stand-alone NAP or by taking other measures; and
• Discuss how the NAPs in the Pacific region could also assist states in implementing the SDGs and overcoming other local challenges such as environmental pollution, climate change and gender-based violence.

Session organized by UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights. 

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Access to remedy remains a key challenge for communities and worker groups whose human rights are breached by business. This challenge is greater when the business is domiciled outside of the country where the breach occurred. Communities and workers lack information about avenues for accessing remedy, and lack of capacity to make claims. Power asymmetries between Pacific Island communities and worker groups, and transnational business, are especially large, making claims even harder.

What forums are available for resolving human rights grievances, and how successful are they in addressing the types of harms that communities and workers suffer? This session will explore a range of fora and discuss cases which have been brought by Pacific Island claimants against transnational business.

This session aims to:

• Assess different avenues for resolving grievances and providing remedy to communities and workers whose human rights are breached by business.
• Explore the factors that community and worker groups should consider before bringing a claim.
• Discuss the assistance that communities and workers can access in making these claims.
• Explore how business can address grievances in good faith.

Session organized by Associate Professor Shelley Marshall, RMIT University. 

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During this session, a panel representing the region and the various stakeholders involved in the combat against modern slavery will be discussing the legal framework and obligations for private sector in the Pacific. We will be guided by some best practices and highlight the challenges faced by state actors and businesses in further working towards eradication of contemporary forms of slavery. Furthermore, we will be elaborating on CSOs’ role in supporting the governments and businesses in meeting their obligations. This dialogue will be enriched with examples from different supply chains in the Pacific.
Session’s objectives

The objective of this session is to:

• Provide a forum to facilitate knowledge sharing on modern slavery in various supply chains in the Pacific, among key stakeholders in the region; 
• Share issues and concerns that may be collectively addressed; and 
• Exchange good practices through case studies. 

Session organized by International Organization for Migration (IOM). 

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Like so many other regions of the world. the Pacific Island region plays host to sectors where the abuse of human rights by business actors is prevalent if not common. Access to land and ocean resources is a major cause of conflict, as corporations look to secure rights to harvest the wealth of the region’s land and oceans. In many cases the companies involved are multinational enterprises that are not based in the Pacific, but who nevertheless have operations there.

This panel will explore these questions with respect to three sectors in particular: forestry, the mining/extractives and fishing. What are the types of pressures that activists in the Pacific face when it comes these sectors? How are human rights defenders in PIC civil society responding to these threats? How can the protection of human rights defenders relate to the UN Guiding Principles on Human Rights (UNGPs)? And what can be done to give greater protection to them?

This session aims to:

• Provide a spotlight on the challenges facing human rights defenders in the Pacific, including the dangers they face;
• Identify the main causes that are putting human rights defenders at risk; and
• Begin to discuss how the business and human rights community might begin to create a safer environment for human rights defenders in the Pacific.

Session organized by Dr Luke Fletcher, Jubilee Australia Research Centre.

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The importance of responsible business practices has been heightened by the devastating consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. While some businesses have acted responsibly, ensuring that their workers’ salaries are paid and labour rights respected, others have resorted to cost-cutting, de-prioritizing respect for human rights standards in trying to protect their bottom line. Even more disconcertingly, the COVID-19 crisis may yet prove to be a dress rehearsal for the risks and negative impacts that may be wrought by climate-induced disasters that are on the horizon.

The growing reach and impact of business enterprises have given rise to a debate about the roles and responsibilities of such actors with regard to human rights and have led to the placement of business and human rights on the UN agenda. This session will focus on entrepreneurship for sustainable development, which is a multilevel phenomenon connecting social, environmental, and economic dimensions between entrepreneurial processes, market transformations, as well as large-scale societal developments. Modern concept of entrepreneurship is all about exercising creativity in business activities, product development, process development, problem solutions, and change management at large (Robinson, 2004). The concept of social entrepreneurship is where an entrepreneur will exercise innovation for a noble cause mostly for socio-economic development and environmental protection. The most simplified form of the concept is “entrepreneurship and innovation for sustainability - business with a cause” (Abrahamsson, 2006). This warrants voluntary actions for pro-active change in business practices through innovative solutions of problem or exploring opportunities on poverty, health and sanitation, recycling, world peace and justice, human security issues etc. The concept merges entrepreneurship with social and ecological development. Sustainability concept refers to entrepreneurial or intrepreneurial approaches that aids an integrated development of social, environmental, and economic issues that help an organisation to continue its business for the long run (Schaltegger & Burritt, 2005; Whiteman, Walker, & Perego, 2013).

This session aims to:

• Discuss the potential of social entrepreneurship as a possible solution to sustainable development challenges.
• Encapsulate how policymakers can directly support entrepreneurship for sustainable development and future generations.
• Show how entrepreneurs may pursue economic viability and at the same time contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by reducing inequality, enhancing social cohesion and tackling environmental challenges.
• Strengthen access to justice and access to adequate remedies for victims of business-related human rights abuses.
• Provide advice to entrepreneurs on how to assess and address human rights risks in their supply chains.

Additional Background document link: The Rights of Future Generations, A New Legal Humanism

Session organized by Raeed Roshan Ali, Precious Plastic Fiji.

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The focus of this session will be on setting a “futuristic agenda” for the Pacific region in promoting responsible business conduct in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

What should governments and businesses do in coming years to deal with challenges such as climate change, gender-based violence, exploitation of workers’ rights, environmental pollution, etc.? How can public-private partnerships be strengthened to achieve the SDGs? How can we build back better more inclusive and sustainable societies in the region?

Keynote address by H.E. David Kabua, President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands.