The Hernan Santa Cruz Dialogues series brings together scholars, economists, politicians, and members of civil society in conversation around the importance of a Human Rights Enhancing Economy, touching upon themes including environmental sustainability, gender justice, corporate accountability, and subnational actors. The theme for the October webinar is “Promoting Business Respect for Human Rights in Myanmar: Lessons from Japan.” Following the February 1, 2021, military coup in Myanmar, international companies operating in the country faced a number of operational and human rights challenges. Notably, the military coup, marked by political repression, violence against civilians, and a rise in armed conflict, made it substantially more difficult for companies to respect the human rights of their workers and come into compliance with international standards such as the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights (UNGPs). For Japanese companies in particular, the Myanmar coup cast a spotlight on the fact that many business enterprises had not yet adopted the UNGPs or regularly carried out a human rights due diligence process, making it challenging for them to assess the negative human rights impacts of their business activities in the post-coup environment. Against this backdrop, panelists in this webinar will explore the impacts of the military coup on the business and human rights landscape in Myanmar, and discuss how the event altered the approaches and perspectives of both Japanese and other multinational companies in promoting a human rights-based economy in the country.

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