GCNT Co-organized "Bridging the Connection between Businesses and Local Communities: Translating Sustainability into Actions in Southeast Asia" Panel Discussion

GCNT co-organized the Bridging the Connection between Businesses and Local Communities: Translating Sustainability into Actions in Southeast Asia panel discussion with Give to Nature and Accountability Counsel on 19 September 2025 at UN ESCAP as part of the 7th United Nations Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum, Asia-Pacific, held in Bangkok, Thailand.

The session was held with the aim to provide a constructive platform for stakeholders to exchange expertise and insights on mitigating risks and overcoming implementation barriers related to environmental and human rights safeguards and to highlight good business practices that demonstrate how meaningful stakeholder engagement and effective Grievance Redress and Accountability Mechanisms (GRAMs) can strengthen human rights due diligence and sustainability practices.

Speakers at the panel discussion were Douangchan Lopaying, Programme Manager from Oxfam Lao, Wang Diangang, General Manager at Pioneer Wood (Lao) Import-Export Sole Co., Ltd., Akihiro Ueda, Stakeholder Engagement Manager at Japan Center for Engagement and Remedy or JaCER, and Sutharee Wannasiri, Communities Associate at Accountability Counsel, while the session was moderated by Dollada Kasarn, BHR and Anti-Corruption Project Assistant at GCNT.

Collectively, the panelists agreed that businesses can create positive impact for communities, but businesses must work to build trust and provide transparency for locals. Moreover, businesses should set up grievance mechanisms which can reduce risks, provide early warnings, and offer problem-solving solutions while engaging stakeholders. Another solution discussed was the neutral third party mechanism whereby an independent party or mediator is involved in cases where direct dialogue becomes difficult, as the independent committee can make assessment in regards to human rights standards.