Background

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Agribusiness is a cornerstone of Asia’s economy, employing millions and driving exports across diverse supply chains. Yet the sector’s web of relationships - from smallholder farmers and migrant workers to Indigenous Peoples and local communities makes engagement complex. Power imbalances, fragmented supply chains, and uneven regulations add to the challenge, even as global expectations intensify. New regulations such as the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, and Deforestation Regulation are reshaping buyer requirements in key markets. These frameworks demand meaningful stakeholder engagement, safe and inclusive participation, and evidence that feedback informs action and reporting. For companies in Asia, these requirements intersect with national measures like Japan’s METI Human Rights Guidelines, Korea’s K-ESG roadmap, sustainable palm oil standards in Indonesia and Malaysia, and ASEAN’s guidelines on responsible investment in agriculture and forestry, embedding engagement into sector governance and aligning local practice with global norms.

However, companies often face significant hurdles: correctly identifying and differentiating stakeholders from rightsholders across complex, multi-tier supply chains; ensuring vulnerable or informal rightsholders have equitable opportunities to engage; and balancing regulatory expectations, commercial priorities, and operational realities across diverse cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic contexts.

This closed-door business roundtable, organized during the UN Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum, will offer a safe space for agribusiness leaders to share experiences, challenges, and approaches with peers. The focus will be on practical, business-driven solutions, lessons learned, and opportunities to strengthen engagement strategies in ways that both support operational goals and meet compliance needs. The session will spotlight regional innovations, share practical tools, and identify pathways for more inclusive and balanced engagement that works for both business and rightsholders.

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Key Objectives

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• Deepen understanding of the regulatory and voluntary frameworks shaping stakeholder and rightsholder engagement in agribusiness supply chains.

• Identify practical, scalable strategies that balance compliance requirements, commercial priorities, and rightsholder needs.

• Share regional examples and tools that can improve efficiency, reduce duplication, and strengthen engagement outcomes.

• Define priority actions and opportunities for continued collaboration beyond the Forum.

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Guiding Questions

• How can agribusinesses effectively map their stakeholder and rightsholder ecosystem, and why does this matter for business outcomes?

• What approaches work best to engage rightsholders, particularly vulnerable groups, meaningfully despite structural or practical barriers?

• How can companies meet regulatory requirements in ways that also build trust and strengthen long-term relationships across their value chains?

• What trends in global and regional regulations, voluntary standards, and buyer requirements are most relevant — and how can businesses design engagement strategies that satisfy multiple expectations efficiently?

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Format

• The roundtable will be strictly under Chatham House Rules, with anonymised notetaking to protect confidentiality and encourage candid dialogue. No media will be present. Data will be handled according to UN ethical guidelines on participant privacy and informed consent.

• Participants will be senior representatives from agribusiness companies and industry associations. Discussion will be peer-led, with UNDP and sector experts facilitating and bringing in examples, tools, and case studies to prompt exchange.

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Session Partners