Date and Time
September 23, 2024
1:30 pm-4:30 pm
ICT
Location
Bangkok, Thailand
Businesses that operate in and source from the Asia-Pacific region are exposed to modern slavery in their value chains. With emerging global legislation on mandatory human rights due diligence and bans on products made with forced labor (including in the US, Canada, and the EU), multistakeholder collaboration and meaningful partnerships between corporate business, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and workers is critical to effectively prevent and address the impacts of labor exploitation in business operations and supply chains.
Since 2020, the Global Business Coalition against Human Trafficking (GBCAT)—a BSR-led coalition of businesses committed to combating human trafficking in company operations and supply chains—has worked to build the capacity of corporate suppliers on forced labor. Following on a landscape assessment of existing collaborative efforts and initiatives in Southeast Asia focused on forced labor conducted in 2023, BSR is organizing a workshop series between September and December 2024. The workshops will facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogues to map business efforts to address modern slavery risks in their SME supply chain in Southeast Asia and identify common gaps and priorities to foster effective human rights due diligence efforts, including through more effective data sharing.
The first workshop will take place in Bangkok, and its objectives include:
- Identify common challenges and opportunities for suppliers to identify, prevent, mitigate and address any risk of involvement with forced labor
- Determining priority actions to support suppliers to identify and mitigate forced labor risks
- Fostering transparency, trust, and common objectives beyond traditional means of social auditing
- Understanding the role of SMEs and smaller businesses in the forced labor data ecosystem and identify opportunities for collective action
The target audience for the workshop includes a cross-industry group (e.g. (electronics, technology, food, beverage and agriculture, textile) of corporate suppliers, multinational companies, and selected policymakers. These include companies with or within supply chains in Southeast Asia, suppliers, and buyers, including global multinationals with regional presence and supply chains in the region as well as companies headquartered outside of Southeast Asia.
The workshop will be held under the Chatham House Rule. This event is part of the pre-forum sessions of the UN Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum, Asia-Pacific.
Please note:
To get access to the meeting venue at the United Nations Conference Center in Bangkok, Thailand, participants will also need to register for the main event. This event is in-person only.
The event is co-hosted by BSR/GBCAT and USAID.
GBCAT is a BSR-led coalition of businesses committed to combating human trafficking in company operations and supply chains. It works with civil society, law enforcement, academia, technologists, and survivors to advance and scale the use of technology to prevent, disrupt, and reduce human trafficking through its Tech Against Trafficking workstream.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is the world’s premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results. USAID’s work advances U.S. national security and economic prosperity, demonstrates American generosity, and promotes a path to recipient self-reliance and resilience.
Scheduled Speakers
- Jon Amis, Supply Chain Risk Management Senior Consultant, USAID
- Samir Goswami, Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Bureau for Management, USAID
- Claudio Formisano, Global Lead, Human Trafficking and Forced Labor, BSR
- Alice Pease, Manager, Human Rights, BSR
- Roberta Pinamonti, Associate Director, BSR
