ACN proudly presents the Annual Report 2017. The report provides a glimpse of ACN’s work in the past year. It features our key activities and achievements as well as organisational updates throughout 2017. With this Annual Report, we hope to highlight the network’s achievements, and to express gratitude to the people, partners, and donors that have supported us and provided us invaluable contributions.
About ASEAN CSR NETWORK
Launched on 11 January 2011, the ASEAN CSR Network (ACN) is a regional network of responsible business networks that aims to provide opportunities for networking and exchange, to be a venue for discussing and addressing regional issues and concerns, and to be advocate and capacity builder for acceptance of international norms of CSR behaviour in the region.
It is registered as a company limited by guarantee in Singapore and is an ASEAN Entity under Annexe 2 of the ASEAN Charter with a mission to promote and mainstream responsible business in ASEAN.
ACN works with business associations, civil society, academia and government agencies to promote responsible business in ASEAN. Some of ACN’s key programmes cover food security & sustainable agriculture, business integrity, financial inclusion and business and human rights in ASEAN.
Job Opportunity: Part Time Research Assistant
Part time Research Assistant required for a project for the drafting a of white paper on the state of Labour in ASEAN.
The project requires a part time researcher in drafting this White Paper to examine the status of CSR on Labour in ASEAN countries and good practices implemented at the level of government institutions. It is intended to be a good guide for governments, employers and worker organisations as well as policy makers to formulate plans for socializing the ASEAN Guidelines for CSR on Labour. It will be a desktop research with inputs from relevant parties through structured and semi-structured interviews.
The White Paper is intended to provide the technical foundation for a technical seminar to be held later in the year.
The research assistant will be expected to help complete the first draft of the report by mid June for comments and finalise the report by mid September. This is not a full time position. We estimate the candidate will spend around 15 to 20 mandays for this project. On satisfactory completion of the report, the researcher could be paid S$5000.
TERMS OF REFERENCE
FOR THE DRAFTING OF A
White paper on state of CSR in ASEAN and good practices ON CSR AND DECENT WORK
Making the ASEAN Guidelines for CSR on Labour a Reality
This White Paper will support the ILO “Responsible Supply Chains in Asia” programme. This 3-year project is conducted with OECD and funded by the EU.The Responsible Supply Chains in Asia (RSCA) project aims at enhancing respect for human rights, labour and environmental standards by businesses with supply chains in Asia, aligning their practices to international standards. This regional project covers China, Japan, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, and works in specific sectors within each of these countries.
The International standards being referenced include Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy (MNE Declaration), the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (OECD Guidelines) the ASEAN Guidelines for CSR on Labour. The MNE Declaration is the only ILO instrument that provides direct guidance to enterprises (multinational and national) on social policy and inclusive, responsible and sustainable workplace practices. The ASEAN CSR Guidelines on Labour is aligned with the MNE Declaration and was adopted by ASEAN Labour Ministers in May 2016.
The Thai Ministry of Labour organised a workshop in March 2016 with representatives from the ASEAN member states, ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN CSR Network (ACN) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to draft the ASEAN CSR Model on Labour to develop directions to implement it as a mechanism to strengthen trade within the ASEAN region, and to improve trade competitiveness in the global arena. As one of the outputs under the CSR project of ASEAN Labour sector "Moving forward with an ASEAN CSR on Labour to support an ASEAN Community”, the ASEAN Guidelines for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on Labour were adopted at the 24th ASEAN Labour Ministers Meeting convened on 15 May 2016 in Vientiane, Lao PDR. This was intended to serve as a guide for governments, enterprises and establishments, employers’ and workers’ organisations to raise awareness of labour issues among enterprises and incorporate CSR, human rights and decent work into their business practices.
To promote the implementation, the Thai Ministry of labour, with the support from the ILO organized ASEAN Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on Labour Forum "ASEAN CSR on Labour: from Guideline to Action” in August 2016. The forum rendered recommended strategies to promote application of ASEAN CSR Guidelines on Labour to business sector.
One of the recommended strategies is that governments, companies and employees need to come together to develop National Action Plans (NAPs) with measurable outputs and outcomes. Thailand developed and launched a National Action Plan in October 2019. Other strategies remain to be taken which include;
The RSCA’s project document indicated that the project shall work with ASEAN CSR network and build on the work related to the ASEAN CSR Guidelines on Labour. The organization will deliver the following tasks;
The white paper will examine status of CSR on Labour in ASEAN countries and good practices implemented at the level of government institutions. It is intended to be a good guide for governments, employer and worker organisations as well as policy makers to formulate plans for socialising the ASEAN Guideline for CSR on Labour. It will be a desktop research with inputs from relevant parties through structured and semi-structured interviews.
The white paper will provide the technical foundation for the technical seminar to be held in Bangkok. In consultation of the ILO RSCA project, the ACN will design the technical seminar while ILO RSCA project team will organise the logistic and cover the expenses for the seminar. This includes travel cost and DSA according to UN rates. ACN will present the white paper and be involved in formulating the agenda of the seminar.
Interested candidates are requested to send their CVs to thomas@asean-csr-network.org by Tuesday, 7 April 2020.
The ASEAN CSR Network (ACN) was incorporated as a company limited by guarantee in Singapore in December 2010 and launched in Singapore on 11 January 2011. The Network is registered as ASEAN CSR Network Limited, taking into consideration legal and financial implications. ACN has also obtained charity status as an International Charitable Organisation (ICO) with effect from 1 July 2014. In 2017, ACN obtained its accreditation as an ASEAN accredited entity.
The ACN manages the day-to-day operations of the organisation. ACN convenes a Board of Trustees meeting annually to oversee the development of its short-term and long-term strategies and directions. The Network abides by all existing international and local laws as may be applicable.
In addition to the Board of Trustees, representatives from selected organizations or prominent individuals may also be invited to be a member of the Board of Advisers. Currently, our Board of Advisers are as follows:-
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Mr. Rafendi Djamin Former Representative of Indonesia, ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) |
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Mr. Noke Kiroyan President Director and Chief Consultant, Kiroyan Partners, |
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Trustees ▸ |
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Ms. Tengku Ida Ismail Vice Chair, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Malaysia
Mr. Nguyen Quang Vinh Secretary General, Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI); Director General, Office of Business Sustainable Development, VCCI
Representative Global Compact Network Singapore (GCNS)
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| Secretariat
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Mr. Thomas Thomas
Chief Executive Officer
ASEAN CSR Network
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In 2008, the ASEAN Foundation partnered with the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) to implement the “Network of ASEAN Corporate Foundations” project. As part of the project, a meeting was organized in Singapore in November 2008 among corporate foundations, CSR practitioners and other stakeholders in conjunction with the annual AIM Asian Forum on CSR. During the meeting, there was a consensus that a regional network for CSR would be beneficial for the development of CSR in the region. A number of organizations expressed their support for the formation of the regional network by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the ASEAN Foundation and AIM.
Inspired by the positive response among ASEAN organizations, the ASEAN Foundation resolved to continue its efforts to catalyze the formation of a regional network for CSR. It found in CSR Europe a model that the ASEAN network could possibly be patterned after. Hence, it sought the support of the League of Corporate Foundations, Philippines to develop a project that would facilitate the development of the ASEAN network by learning from the experience of CSR Europe and the existing CSR and business networks in the region. Through a series of workshops, focus group discussions and consultation meetings, a proposed framework has been developed for the formalization of the regional network.
In 8 December 2010, the ASEAN CSR Network (ACN) was established with support from the ASEAN Foundation and the Japan-ASEAN Solidarity Fund, in line with the achievement of an ASEAN Community in 2015. Under the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community blueprint, a document signed by all of ASEAN’s heads of states, ‘Promoting Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)’ is identified as an integral strategy in ensuring sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development in ASEAN.
In 11 January 2011, ACN was inaugarated and its secretariat managed the operations of the organisation. As a regional organisation, ACN provides a platform for networking and cooperation at the ASEAN level, supports capacity-building and training activities, helps to rally collective action on key issues, and provides a link with regional and international bodies interested in supporting the advancement of CSR in the region.
Six founding organisations – from five of the 10 ASEAN members-states plus the ASEAN Foundation – signed off on the Network’s framework and have agreed to work together for the advancement of CSR in ASEAN. A short-term priority of the Network is to achieve representation in all 10 ASEAN-member countries, as well as expanding participation in each country. Since its inception, chambers in Vietnam and Myanmar have joined the Network, expanding representation to seven out of 10 ASEAN member-states.
In 2014, ACN obtained charity status as an International Charitable Organisation (ICO) with effect from 1 July 2014 and in 2017, ACN received its accreditation as an ASEAN accredited entity.
A responsible business community that makes ASEAN a better place to live for all
To promote and enable responsible business conduct in ASEAN to achieve sustainable, equitable and inclusive social, environmental and economic development
A regional network of CSR networks
A platform for networking, exchange of best practices and facilitating peer-to-peer discussions at the regional level
A repository of ASEAN knowledge on CSR through case studies and conduct and/or being the focal point of relevant research on the practice of CSR in the ASEAN context
A capacity builder by engaging participants in more formal teaching and training approaches alongside adoption of common standards and benchmarking on CSR implementation
An advocate for CSR by engaging participants in information, education and communications campaigns that promote the practice of CSR, and at times, providing representation for the business community to the ASEAN body and other inter-governmental agencies or think tanks on relevant policy issues concerning CSR
Six founding organisations – from five of the 10 ASEAN members-states plus the ASEAN Foundation – signed off on the Network’s framework and have agreed to work together for the advancement of CSR in ASEAN. A short-term priority of the Network is to achieve representation in all 10 ASEAN-member countries, as well as expanding participation in each country. Since its inception, chambers in Vietnam and Myanmar have joined the Network, expanding representation to seven out of 10 ASEAN member-states.
Hence, each of the red 'waves' on the top left represents the 5 ASEAN member states that came on board in the earlier days and the grey coloured 'waves' on the right are the other 5 ASEAN member states, out of which 2 had since joined us and we are looking forward the participation of the other 3 states.
The 'waves' can also be interpreted as 'fingers'. All the 10 fingers coming together, to form two hands. Both hands are 'holding' CSR. This symbolises the close and harmonious relationship in embracing corporate social responsibility together.
