The ASEAN CSR Network proudly presented its first webinar series aptly called "Responsible Business 101." It was successfully launched in the month of April 2018, with over a hundred people from across the globe participating in the introductory session.

 The first installment of the series is a webinar introducing the concept of responsible business, held on 5 April 2018. Led by ACN Programme Manager Melissa Chong, the webinar delved into the basics of corporate social responsibility, and sought to answer these important questions:

• The Reality: What is happening globally and in ASEAN?
  The What: What is responsible business?
  The Why: Why should companies care?
  The How: What are some good practices among companies in ASEAN?

During the webinar, the participants were asked what they think is the strongest reason for their company/organisation to practice responsible business. The poll showed that almost 80% of the respondents think that responsible business can help build better relationships with their stakeholders, while almost 60% of them think that it makes business sense.

The second part of the series is composed of four (4) other related webinars on the topic of responsible business.

This month, ACN also conducted the first two topics of Part 2: on Business & Human Rights, and Environmental Sustainability.

The Business & Human Rights webinar was also facilitated by ACN Programme Manager Melissa Chong on 12 April 2018. The webinar sought to outline the role of businesses according to the UN Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights (UNGPs) as a 'gold standard', paying particular attention to labour rights, land rights, due diligence, extractive industries and other issues of high relevance to ASEAN.​

The participants were asked live during the sessions if they think that the UN Guiding Principles (UNGPs) are useful in addressing human rights concerns in your company. They were also asked what areas within BHR they would like to learn more about. The results show that the majority agrees that the UNGPs are useful and easy to understand. Most of them are also interested in learning more about labour rights.

On 19 April, just week after that webinar, ACN conducted the second webinar of Part 2, which was on the topic of Environmental Sustainability. This time, it was facilitated by ACN Senior Programme Manager Karen Sim. The webinar aimed to provide an overview of environmental sustainability and of some key environmental issues in the region. It also discussed the role of businesses as part of the problem, and how businesses can and must be part of the solution.

The participants were asked what areas of environmental sustainability they would like to learn more about. The poll results state that the majority would like to learn about climate change impacts.

The last 2 webinars in the series are scheduled on 03 May 2018 (Business Integrity & Anti-Corruption) and on 10 May (Gender Equity in Business). Click on the links to register.

Given the success of the RB101 Webinar Series, ACN will surely prepare to conduct more webinars in the future.