ASEAN CSR Network: December 2017 Newsletter - Year in Review

Promoting and enabling
responsible business conduct in ASEAN

2017: Year in Review

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​​​​2017 was a year of obstacles and challenges, but it was also a year of accomplishments and victories. The ASEAN CSR Network (ACN) utilised this year to continue promoting responsible business practices in the region--from influencing the general discourse through conferences and collaborations to writing research papers to mentoring young CSR professionals. Together, we worked harder than ever to expand the network, to strengthen our institutional partnerships, and to plan for a better year ahead.

As we prepare to start anew in 2018, let us look back at the biggest happenings in ACN this year:

• Accreditation of ACN as ASEAN Entity​
• ​Inauguration of the ASEAN CSR Fellowship
• Strong efforts to boost collective action for BHR and business integrity
• Strengthened partnerships with key stakeholders
• Promotion of responsible business practices
• Contributions to critical discourse through research publications
• Notable projects under the Small Grants Fund
• Strategic planning to prepare for new vision
• ACN Secretariat staff expansion

Click here to learn more about ACN 2017 Highlights.
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Lao Companies Attend​ Conference on Responsible Business

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​131 representatives from business, government, civil society, and media attended a workshop on responsible business co-organised by ASEAN CSR Network (ACN) and the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI). 
 

Read more here.
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​Best Capstone Project Award goes to Lao Fellows for Project on Responsible Agricultural Investments

​ASEAN CSR Fellows from Laos were selected to receive the "Best Capstone Project" award for their project on responsible agriculture investments in Laos. Their activities will include the development of guidelines to be endorsed by the Ministry of Planning and Investment, training for agri-businesses on human rights and sustainability and study tours to learn from KP Group company's programme which supports cucumber farmers.

​The 3 Fellows are Philaiphone Vongpraseuth from Phousy Group, Sanva Saephan from KP Lao Company and Vanida Khouangvichit from Village Focus International.

The award comes with a project grant of S$10,000.

Congratulations!
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• ​​​ACN presents recipients of the Small Grants Fund
• CSR Workshop conducted for young entrepreneurs in Cambodia​

• ​​ACN links responsible business conduct to equality and development for all at RWI discussion
• CSR Platform holds conference in Phnom Penh

​US President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order "Blocking the Property of Persons Involved in Serious Human Rights Abuse or Corruption," as a moved to extend the extraterritoriality of US foreign bribery laws. The EO declares a national emergency, citing serious human rights abuse and rampant corruption as an "unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States". These include "the misappropriation of state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, or bribery."

Read the full Executive Order here.​

​Government-linked Singaporean company, Keppel Offshore & Marine (KOM), was ordered by the US Department of Justice to pay a fine of US$422.2 million for corrupt practicesbetween 2001-2014. These refer to bribes given by a KOM agent to Brazilian officials of state oil company Petrobras. Admist the scandal, Keppel CEO Loh Chin Hua clarifies that this case does "not reflect how the Keppel Group conducts business today", stressing that they have "zero tolerance for corruption." Nevertheless, this misconduct raises questions on corruption and business integrity in Singapore, a country that is typically regarded as least corrupt in Asia.

Prof. Lawrence Loh of NUS-CGIO wrote about this issue. Click here to read.​

​With Singapore as the next chair of ASEAN in 2018, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan delivered a speech during a lecture titled "ASEAN: Next 50" at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore on 5 December. He presented the key points of the Singapore chairmanship for the upcoming year, which are mainly on economic trade, digital integration, and cybersecurity. During the Q&A portion, he also talked about the importance of developing technology for financial infrastructure for laborers, referencing the large population of migrant workers that remit "exorbitant" amounts of money back home. He adds, "Can we just make sure hardworking people get to transfer, to remit the fruits of their labour to their families back home as efficiently and at the most cost effective rate possible? It’s more than just protecting the rights of migrant workers but actually creating win-win outcomes for everyone."

Read the full transcript of his speech here.​

​​In a historic move towards the advancement of migrant workers, ASEAN leaders have pledged to safeguard the rights of migrant workers. The ASEAN Consensus on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers was signed by Heads of States during the 31st ASEAN Summit last month in the Philippines. The ASEAN Consensus includes the principles, rights of migrant workers and members of their families, as well as the obligations and commitments of the ASEAN Member States. The signing of the Consensus signals closer cooperation in ASEAN in tackling issues of migrant workers in the region.

Read the consensus document here.​

The 10-member ASEAN and the EU have agreed to promote and uphold human rights during the 2nd ASEAN-EU Policy Dialogue on Human Rights, held in Bohol, Philippines. The topics tackled includes human trafficking, gender equality, sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, and rights of the child. Among other points of interest, ASEAN and EU also agreed to cooperate in issues related to business and human rights, and corporate social responsibility. The next dialogue is set to commence in 2018.
 

Read more about the dialogue here.​