Overview

Across Asia-Pacific, businesses and supply chains increasingly operate across borders, while laws and remedy mechanisms remain largely national. This leaves major gaps in preventing and addressing environmental, labour and human rights harms, especially when parent companies, subsidiaries, financiers, suppliers and affected communities are located in different jurisdictions.

This panel examines how Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) and OECD National Contact Point (NCP) mechanisms can help close these gaps by strengthening prevention, transparency, corporate accountability and access to effective remedy. It brings together experiences from South Korea and Australia—OECD members with established NCPs and practical approaches to HRDD—and Thailand, which is preparing for OECD membership and developing its regulatory framework.

A representative from KTNC Watch will share South Korean experience, including NCP engagement concerning the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy dam collapse in Laos, migrant worker rights and accountability for Korean companies operating abroad. A representative from Walk Free will discuss Australia’s experience with modern slavery, HRDD and responsible supply chains, including both the achievements and practical limitations of these mechanisms.

A representative from the Community Resource Centre Foundation (CRC) will explain why Thailand needs an effective NCP and Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) legislation as it advances its OECD accession process and implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. CRC will highlight critical gaps in Thai law concerning the responsibility of parent companies, corporate groups, supply-chain actors and financiers; transboundary harms; meaningful participation; and appropriate remedy for affected rights holders.

Aligned with “Building Resilience, Advancing Rights,” the session moves from commitment to implementation. Through comparative, rights-holder-centred dialogue, it will identify practical lessons to ensure that Thailand’s emerging NCP and HREDD framework does not merely exist on paper, but delivers credible prevention, transparent decision-making, meaningful accountability and effective remedy in practice.

Why it matters

Effective HRDD and NCP mechanisms are essential to prevent harm, strengthen corporate accountability and ensure access to remedy. This session enables countries with established frameworks to identify weaknesses and improve their effectiveness, while helping countries such as Thailand, which is developing these mechanisms, learn from existing experience. Stronger regional frameworks can promote transparency, accountability and effective remedy, protect affected people and communities, uphold human rights, safeguard natural resources and the environment, and advance the Sustainable Development Goals.

Key questions

1. What practical lessons can be drawn from South Korea’s and Australia’s experience with NCP, HRDD and responsible business conduct mechanisms, including their achievements, limitations and areas requiring improvement?

2. As Thailand prepares for OECD membership, what legal and institutional gaps must its future NCP and HREDD framework address, particularly regarding corporate groups, supply chains, financiers and transboundary harms?

3. How can NCP and HREDD mechanisms ensure transparency, meaningful rights-holder participation, corporate accountability, and access to appropriate and effective remedy?

4. How can these mechanisms more effectively prevent human rights and environmental harm, protect affected people and communities, safeguard natural resources, and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals?

Who should attend?

Government representatives and policymakers involved in OECD accession, NCP development and HREDD legislation; existing OECD NCP representatives; businesses, investors and financial institutions; civil society organizations; affected communities and rights holders; workers, trade unions and migrant worker organizations; human rights and environmental defenders; National Human Rights Institutions; legal practitioners; academics and international organizations working on responsible business conduct, corporate accountability, environmental protection and access to remedy across Asia-Pacific.

What participants will gain

- Practical lessons from South Korea’s and Australia’s experience with NCP, HRDD, modern slavery and responsible supply-chain mechanisms, including what has worked, what remains ineffective and what should be improved.

- A clearer understanding of the legal and institutional gaps that Thailand’s future NCP and HREDD framework must address, particularly regarding corporate groups, supply chains, financiers and transboundary harms.

- Practical approaches for ensuring transparency, meaningful rights-holder participation, corporate accountability, and access to appropriate and effective remedy.

- Insights into how stronger NCP and HREDD mechanisms can prevent human rights and environmental harm, protect affected communities and workers, safeguard natural resources, and advance the Sustainable Development Goals.

Additional Resources

UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights

https://www.ohchr.org/en/publications/reference-publications/guiding-principles-business-and-human-rights

OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct

https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/oecd-guidelines-for-multinational-enterprises-on-responsible-business-conduct_81f92357-en.html

OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct

https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/oecd-due-diligence-guidance-for-responsible-business-conduct_15f5f4b3-en.html

OECD National Contact Points for Responsible Business Conduct

https://www.oecd.org/en/networks/national-contact-points-for-responsible-business-conduct.html