Overview

As corporate-related human rights and environmental harms continue across Asia, affected communities, Indigenous Peoples, women human rights defenders, workers, and grassroots movements continue to face major barriers in accessing justice and remedy. While voluntary standards and emerging human rights and environmental due diligence (mHREDD) laws represent important progress, accountability gaps remain, particularly in transnational contexts where communities struggle to hold corporations accountable across borders.

At the same time, awareness and engagement with the ongoing negotiations for a UN Legally Binding Instrument (LBI) on Business and Human Rights remain limited across Asia, despite the region being deeply affected by corporate abuses and environmental injustices. This session introduces the LBI to participants who may be unfamiliar with the process and explores why it matters for civil society, Indigenous Peoples, governments, businesses, and affected communities across the region.

The discussion will explain how the proposed treaty seeks to complement existing business and human rights frameworks by strengthening corporate accountability, improving access to justice and remedy, and addressing governance gaps that voluntary approaches alone cannot resolve.

Drawing on feminist, Indigenous, and community-led perspectives, speakers will examine how the treaty negotiations provide an opportunity to better protect human rights defenders and affected communities, strengthen access to remedy, and ensure that those most impacted by corporate activities meaningfully shape international accountability frameworks.

Grounded in practical experiences from across Asia, the session will highlight why stronger regional engagement is essential to ensuring that the future treaty reflects the realities, priorities, and leadership of Asian communities and contributes to building resilience while advancing rights.

Why it matters

Although Asia is one of the regions most affected by corporate-related human rights and environmental abuses, engagement with the UN Treaty negotiations remains limited. As the only session on the Legally Binding Instrument (LBI) at the Forum, this discussion provides an accessible introduction to the treaty, why it matters, and how civil society, Indigenous Peoples, affected communities, businesses, and governments can help shape what could become one of the most significant international human rights instruments of the 21st century, one that seeks to close longstanding accountability gaps and advance access to justice and remedy for affected communities, particularly across the Global South.

Key questions

• What is the UN Legally Binding Instrument on Business and Human Rights, and why does it matter for Asia?

• How can the treaty strengthen corporate accountability, access to justice, and effective remedy beyond existing voluntary standards and emerging due diligence laws?

• Why is it essential to protect human rights defenders and ensure meaningful participation of affected communities, Indigenous Peoples, and women in the treaty process?

• How can Asian communities, civil society, governments engage more actively in shaping the future treaty?

Who should attend?

This session is designed for participants interested in understanding the future of corporate accountability, including civil society organizations, Indigenous Peoples' organizations, workers' and trade union representatives, human rights defenders, UN agencies, National Human Rights Institutions, government representatives, businesses, legal practitioners, academics, students, and anyone wishing to better understand the UN Treaty process and its relevance for Asia. No prior knowledge of the Legally Binding Instrument is required.

What participants will gain

• A clear understanding of the UN Legally Binding Instrument, its objectives, and why it is relevant for Asia.

• Practical insights into how the treaty complements existing business and human rights frameworks, including mHREDD, by strengthening corporate accountability and access to remedy.

• Greater appreciation of the importance of feminist, Indigenous, and frontline perspectives, including the protection of human rights defenders and affected communities, in shaping effective international accountability frameworks.

• Concrete ideas for how communities, civil society, and governments can engage in and contribute to the ongoing UN Treaty negotiations.

Additional resources

• The Diplomat: Op-ed by Debbie Stothard, Emilie Palamy Pradichit, Shohel Hajong, “Why Asia Must Step Up to Rein in Corporate Accountability – Before It’s Too Late”, 6 June 2025 https://thediplomat.com/2025/06/why-asia-must-step-up-to-rein-in-corporate-accountability-before-its-too-late/

• ESCR-Net: Blog, “Why the UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights Matters More Than Ever”, 26 June 2026: https://www.escr-net.org/news/2026/collective-frontlines-why-the-un-treaty-on-business-and-human-rights-matters-more-than-ever/

• ESCR-Net: About the Treaty to Regulate Corporate Power: https://www.escr-net.org/initiative/treaty-to-regulate-corporate-power/

• OHCHR: Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with Respect to Human Rights (OEIGWG): https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/wg-trans-corp/igwg-on-tnc