Environmental and Human Rights in Business
When harm occurs in business operations, it is important that the impacted communities and rights-holders can obtain remedies from any abuse and that corporations are held accountable. It is equally crucial that the state and businesses put in effective safeguards to prevent these abuses from occurring in the first place. While the UN is debating a binding treaty on business and human rights, these simple principles are set out by international authoritative standards such as the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), unanimously adopted by the Human Rights Council in 2011, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Guidelines on Multinational Corporations. However, in Cambodia, communities often face abuse and once having rights violated struggle to obtain remedy through the judiciary as corporations are provided with impunity. Many decide not to pursue legal action at all.
Engaging with the RGC and Businesses to embed HREDD principles The Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) as duty-bearers is obliged to strengthen the insufficient business and human rights legal and regulatory framework, which lags behind the Association of Southeast Asian Nations peers. We engage with RGC alongside businesses to assess potential risks and embed HREDD principles into national standards and incentives, in line with authoritative global business and international human rights standards. We remind stakeholders that increased due diligence is not regulatory overreach, but instead the act of corporations holding up a mirror. If that mirror shows that harm is occurring in the course of their operations and supply chain to the detriment of people and environment, business practices must be adjusted accordingly.
Engaging with CSOs and local stakeholders
Through evidence-based research and fair negotiations we provide a platform for the private sector, civil society, government and impacted communities to discuss how to facilitate the development of stronger HREDD within the private sector. This includes fruitful discussion in relation to the positive promotion of human and environmental rights and corporate accountability but in turn the economically strategic benefits of having strengthened due diligence practices.