STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK ON A NATIONAL ACTION PLAN ON BUSINESS AND
HUMAN RIGHTS FOR MALAYSIA
VI.
POLICY OBJECTIVES FOR AN NAP ON BUSINESS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
A. Pillar I – State Duty to Protect
Foundational Principles
Guiding Principle 1
States must protect against human rights abuse within their territory and/or jurisdiction by
third parties, including business enterprises. This requires taking appropriate steps to prevent,
investigate, punish and redress such abuse through effective policies, legislation, regulations
and adjudication.
Guiding Principle 2
States should set out clearly the expectation that all business enterprises domiciled in their
territory and/or jurisdiction respect human rights throughout their operations.
(1) Prioritise actions to address specific domestic and overseas business and human rights challenges
affecting Malaysia and ASEAN
34. Malaysia’s NAP on business and human rights should include effective action to prevent and
remedy adverse business-related human rights impacts that arise in relation to specific thematic
issues and sectors. Examples of thematic issues that have been in the spotlight in Malaysia
include the abuse and exploitation of migrant workers, human trafficking, child labour, forced
labour, infringements of indigenous peoples’ rights and environmental rights. Examples of sectors
with known human rights challenges include the electronics, hydropower and the plantations
(e.g. palm oil and timber) sectors. A notable issue cutting across these themes and sectors is
that of managing human rights risks and impacts along supply chains. These examples are not
exhaustive and there may be other key business and human rights challenges. It is important
to note that the intention here is not to single out sectors or industries to name and shame, but
to identify areas that require the efforts of these industries and other relevant stakeholders to
problem-solve.
35. Effective action should be based on an adequate understanding of the nature and causes of
these specific business and human rights challenges. For example, the Commission has found
that in the hydropower and plantation sectors, adverse human rights impacts have arisen due to
poor community engagement and inadequate environmental and social impact assessments.36
Adequate monitoring and effective enforcement is required to ensure that environmental and
social impact assessments (ESIAs) are conducted and are adequate. Better training of company
officers is likely required to ensure adequate community engagement. Importantly, to adequately
understand the nature and causes of the problems, affected stakeholders should be consulted for
their input.
36. The overseas human rights impacts of Malaysian companies, especially in countries known for
weak governance, also deserves attention. Malaysia’s FDI outflows were in 2011 the fifth largest
in Asia at US$15 billion.37 (This increased to US$17 billion in 2012 and were at US$13.6 billion in
2013.)38 Malaysia was the source country with the second highest FDI inflows into Cambodia in
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