Chapter 3 - Report of the Research and Policy Development Group 2. BUSINESS AND HUMAN RIGHTS (a) Round-Table Discussion on Business and Human Rights On 5 June, the RPDD organised a Round-Table Discussion (RTD) entitled ‘Promoting Business and Human Rights in Malaysia’ with the following objectives: i. To introduce the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights to relevant stakeholders related to business activities in Malaysia; ii. To enhance understanding on how the UN Guiding Principles can be implemented in practical terms; iii. To identify, exchange and promote good/best practices and lessons learned on the implementation of the Guiding Principles; iv. To provide an opportunity for various groups including the Government, NGOs, Government-linked Companies (GLCs) and other civil society organisations to express their concerns and perspectives on issues relating to business and human rights; and v. To discuss further possible collaboration with various stakeholders in promoting the agenda on business and human rights in Malaysia. The Commission invited four speakers to provide information and to share some of their experiences on issues relating to business and human rights. They were Ms Shahnaz AlSadat Abdul Mohsein, Member of the Board of Trustees of Yayasan AMIR and former Executive Director of the Strategic Human Capital Management Division of Khazanah Nasional Bhd; Mr Ng Chih Kaye, Independent Non-Executive Director of Agrobank and CapitaMalls Malaysia REIT Sdn Bhd; Ms Nor Azimah, Director of the Corporate Development and Policy Division of the Companies Commission of Malaysia; and Ms Long Seh Lih, Co-Founder of the Malaysian Centre for Constitutionalism & Human Rights. The following issues were raised: i. Business entities should conduct their businesses in an accountable manner. There should be mutual respect between employers and employees as well as good understanding between businesses and suppliers. Businesses need to make sure that their products are safe for their customers. ii. Domestic laws are adequate in terms of holding business enterprises legally accountable as legal persons. However, the laws do not specifically require business enterprises to avoid causing or contributing to adverse human rights impacts through their activities. iii. Businesses should be encouraged to undertake a voluntary or self-regulatory approach instead of forcing their compliance through new legislation or reporting mechanism. The idea of using a self-regulatory approach to inject human rights in the fabric of business was firmly supported by most participants. 67