Role of the Private Sector in the Post-2015 ASEAN and Global Context

Date Thursday, 5 February 2015
Headline What CSR means for ASEAN businesses, the challenges and what can be done
Speakers
  • Chris Bendl, CEO & President Director, Manulife Indonesia
  • Roel Nieuwenkamp, Chair, OECD Working Party on Responsible Business Conduct
  • Rafendi Djamin, Representative of Indonesia for the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights
  • Noriyuki Suzuki, General Secretary, ITUC Asia-Pacific
Highlights:
  
  • The social culture dimension of ASEAN compliments economic growth. CSR needs to be contextualised to ASEAN's need and challenges as the region is diverse.  Some of the issues include human rights challenges - migrant workers, inequality within the region and countries, development gaps.
  • The private secor has a role to play in CSR.Private sector need to move from low engagement CSR to more impactful CSR, otehwise it becomes Public Relations.  It needs to be inclusive with all stakeholders. 
  • The private sector also needs to engage with governments on sustainable development goals.  There needs to be ownership from private sector.
  • Sustainability and CSR is the right to do, and makes business sense.  It is also for survival, not just opportunities (licence to operate).  Companies cannogt outsource its responsibility.  Grievance mechanism in place to resolve problems between complainant and MNCs.
  • The future of corporations is naked.  The social media has a role in combatting issues like corruption.
  • Civil societies and corporations must work together to tackle the issue of weak local governance.  ASEAN governments need to have national action plans to tackle CSR issue like business and human rights.  ASEAN needs a common language of he action plans.  The region's governments also need to understand what is rights-based sustainability.
  • Some questions riaised: should there more 'carrots' to promote CSR or 'sticks' to punish errant parties? Should there be a tax on CSR, so the money can used to fund projects/ infrastructure that can improve CSR and sustainability?

Conclusion: There cannot be business as usual.  There needs to be a 'gotong royong' spirit of mutual help and community.