19 September  |  13:45-14:45 ICT

Safeguarding Human Rights in the Energy Transition

Organized by:

• Foundation for International Human Rights Reporting Standards

• Environmental Resources Management

• LRQA

Background

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In the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region—home to some of the world’s fastest-growing economies and most climate-vulnerable populations—governments, businesses are accelerating decarbonisation through ambitious targets and clean technologies.

However, the scale and speed of this transition bring significant social risks. As companies ramp up decarbonisation efforts globally, there continues to be major gaps in understanding that the move towards a low-carbon economy could have adverse impacts on workers, communities, Indigenous Peoples, and vulnerable populations. Businesses risk getting caught up in the pressures to accelerate decarbonisation efforts, while at the same time inadvertently losing sight of potential impacts on rightsholders as a result of these measures. Climate action must be inclusive, equitable, and grounded in respect for human rights. The journey to net zero must not come at the cost of people.

The principle of a Just Transition is gaining traction. For APAC, where economic disparity and social vulnerability are pronounced, embedding these principles is essential for safeguarding the rights of vulnerable populations. The session will briefly discuss impacts such as: The hidden human rights cost of greener supplier chains,  land, consent, and community conflict in renewable energy projects, carbon offsets and the risk of exploitation, declining workplace quality.

The session will be focused on how society can meet climate and ESG goals while respecting human rights, especially in regions facing informal work, resource dependency, and weak protections. We will present case studies and solutions and discuss what makes a Just Transition initiative successful, or not.

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Key Objectives

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• Increased awareness of human rights risks associated with net zero transitions, especially where high risk sectors are concerned.

• Shared practical solutions for Just Transition as this session will share real world case studies and approaches that businesses can use to embed equity, human rights and social justice in climate action strategies.

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Guiding Questions

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Panel discussion questions:

• What human rights risks do businesses most often overlook when delivering on climate goals?

• How can due diligence support a just transition in resource or labour intensive sectors?

• Where are we seeing examples of corporate leadership on just transition in the region?

• Solutions diagnostics: What has worked, what would work better, what works in one context but not in another, what makes something successful, what makes something fail

Audience Questions to encourage interaction: 

• What are your Just Transition Priorities? 

• What negative human rights impacts are you seeing in the Green transition?

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Session Partners