Background

Responsible business conduct (RBC) is becoming an increasingly important feature of ASEAN’s economic integration and engagement with regional and global markets. Governments across the region are strengthening policy frameworks for responsible business, including through mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence requirements, while businesses are responding to evolving market expectations. As these developments accelerate, closer cooperation between governments, regional institutions and the private sector is essential to strengthen policy coherence, build resilient supply chains, and enhance long-term business competitiveness.

In this evolving landscape, strengthening cooperation between ASEAN and Japan presents an important opportunity to advance responsible business conduct across regional value chains, building on Japan’s longstanding role as one of ASEAN’s largest trading partners and investors.

At the 2025 UN Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum, UNDP convened the session Driving Responsible Business in ASEAN, together with the Mission of Japan to ASEAN, Global Compact Network Japan and IDE-JETRO, with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. The dialogue brought together AICHR representatives, governments, businesses and regional institutions. Discussions highlighted the need for greater coherence across ASEAN, stronger implementation of human rights due diligence, and sustained cooperation between Japanese companies and their ASEAN suppliers and partners.

A key outcome of the dialogue was a shared recognition that advancing responsible business conduct requires sustained engagement beyond periodic policy dialogues. This informed the launch of the ASEAN Responsible Business Collective in Jakarta in March 2026 with support from the Government of Japan. The Collective created a peer-driven platform for Japanese and ASEAN businesses, business associations and Global Compact Networks to exchange practical experience and jointly identify regional priorities.

The Jakarta dialogue surfaced several shared challenges: differing expectations across markets, limited supplier and MSME capacity, uneven integration of human rights due diligence into business operations, weak trust in grievance mechanisms, and emerging risks linked to digitalization, artificial intelligence and changing patterns of work. Participants also called for closer alignment across supply chains, more accessible tools and continued regional peer learning.

While the ASEAN Responsible Business Collective has strengthened business-to-business collaboration, many of the challenges identified require connecting business experiences with the policy and institutional architecture of ASEAN. As AICHR begins implementing its Five-Year Work Plan 2026–2030 and ASEAN Member States continue developing responsible business policies and approaches, there is an opportunity to strengthen dialogue between businesses, governments and regional institutions. At the same time, the growing emergence of mandatory human rights due diligence (mHRDD) requirements in major global markets reinforces the need for closer regional cooperation to help businesses navigate evolving expectations while maintaining competitiveness.

It is in this context that the 2026 closed-door dialogue will bring together members of the ASEAN Responsible Business Collective, AICHR representatives, government representatives from ASEAN members and Japan, and regional partners to examine how business experience can inform regional policy cooperation and how ASEAN institutions can support more consistent and practical implementation of responsible business conduct across regional value chains.

Building on the progress made since the 2025 ASEAN-Japan dialogue and the launch of the ASEAN Responsible Business Collective, the dialogue will identify practical opportunities to promote greater policy coherence, strengthen regional cooperation, and support more competitive, resilient, and sustainable regional value chains.

The dialogue will focus on four interconnected areas:

• Greater coherence across ASEAN value chains: Supporting businesses operating across different markets without creating additional or duplicative requirements.

• Human rights due diligence in practice: Strengthening HRDD implementation among lead companies, suppliers and MSMEs, including within Japanese-linked supply chains.

• Business competitiveness and resilience: Exploring practical approaches to strengthen resilient supply chains, responsible investment, and long-term competitiveness.

• Regional cooperation and peer learning: Connecting existing government, AICHR, business-network and Collective initiatives to expand practical support and strengthen collaboration.

Key questions:

• What has implementation since 2025 revealed the most significant gaps across ASEAN value chains?

• What are the key implementation challenges for businesses and governments, and where is greater regional cooperation needed?

• How can AICHR and ASEAN governments draw on the practical experience of the ASEAN Responsible Business Collective?

• How can Japan continue supporting responsible and resilient value chains connecting Japanese and ASEAN businesses?

• What practical follow-up actions could be taken forward through existing mechanisms?

Partners and target group

The event will be organized by UNDP with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, the Mission of Japan to ASEAN, and in partnership with IDE-JETRO, and the UN Global Compact Network Japan.

Attendance will be open to business representatives, government officials of relevant ministries, international organizations active in the field of responsible business in Japan and ASEAN and interested diplomatic missions.

Event modalities

The event will be held in English. Participants registered for the event will be able to participate in person.