Asia in Focus: Corporate Accountability and Climate Change is a report written by Economist Impact in consultation with and supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the European Union (EU). The findings are based on an extensive literature review and an expert interview programme conducted by Economist Impact between August and December 2022.
It is abundantly clear that global warming will not be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Global efforts to limit the average temperature increase to 1.5° Celsius have fallen short. Despite earnest pledges made in Paris seven years ago during COP21, the world has only gotten hotter and weather patterns more unpredictable. Consequently, the human rights of millions, if not billions, of people in Asia are at grave risk. This report aims to highlight the links between climate change and human rights, and the critical role that business plays in addressing both.
This report is also intended to serve as a resource for policy makers and business leaders trying to mitigate contributions to climate change and its adverse impact on human rights. It includes policy recommendations for the public, private, and non-profit sectors that align with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and other globally recognised frameworks.
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The first report in this Asia in Focus series, entitled ‘Clean Air and the Business and Human Rights Agenda’, called for urgent action to address air pollution in order to safeguard human rights and address climate change.1 The report demonstrated that air pollution has vast, negative implications for economies across the region. It also provided recommendations for mitigating air pollution’s impacts.
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Building on this whitepaper and the Clean Air report, UNDP will publish a supplementary action brief to provide further guidance on entry points for engagement.
The present report was written by Economist Impact. The authors are Bilge Arslan, Gillian Parker, Bhagya Raj Rathod and Divya Sharma Nag. The report was edited by Paul Kielstra. Cheryl Fuerte and Sachin Javale created the digital hub.
Expert insights
Thanks are due to the following people (in alphabetical order by surname) for their time and insights:
Rashyid Redza Anwarudin, chief sustainability officer, Sime Darby Plantation
Diane Archer, senior research fellow, Stockholm Environment Institute
Prarthana Borah, director, CDP India
Gregorio Rafael Bueta, adjunct faculty member, Ateneo de Manila University School of Law
Antony Crockett, public international law and cross-border dispute resolution specialist, Herbert Smith Freehills
Joseph D'Cruz, CEO, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)
Dr Ian Fry, special rapporteur on human rights and climate change
Dr Sam Geall, CEO, China Dialogue Trust
Natalia Grillon, executive director, Open Apparel Registry
Kim Hellström, green investment project manager, H&M
Catherine Higham, policy fellow Climate Change Laws of the World, London School of Economics/Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment
Jason Judd, executive director, Global Labour Institute, Cornell University
Hanh Le, South-East Asia senior director, Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)
Sarah Negro, global public affairs senior manager, H&M
Brynn O’Brien, executive director, Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility
Oy Cheng Phang, head of sustainability advisory services, KPMG Malaysia
Sara Phillips, associate researcher/consultant, Community Climate Resilience in Critical Mineral Supply Chains, Chulalongkorn University
Stefano Savi, director, Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR)
Praveen Singhavi, president, APRIL Group
Paula Valencia, senior associate, Rocky Mountain Institute
Vanessa Zimmerman, founder and CEO, Pillar Two
Thanks are also due to the following UNDP experts:
Sagita Adesywi, business and human rights specialist, UNDP Indonesia
Jehan Wan Aziz, business and human rights specialist, UNDP Malaysia
Mehruna Islam Chowdhury, business and human rights specialist, UNDP Bangladesh
Zoljargal Gantumur, business and human rights specialist, UNDP Mongolia
Bui Hien, business and human rights, project manager, UNDP Vietnam
Roos Ijsendijk, human rights and inclusive governance specialist, UNDP Vietnam
Nusrat Khan, business and human rights specialist, UNDP India
Swetha Kolluri, head of experimentation, UNDP India
Amit Kumar, head of poverty and inclusive growth, UNDP India
Huan V. Nguyen, business and human rights specialist, UNDP Vietnam
Jyotiraj Patra, climate change and adaptation specialist, UNDP India
Myanthi Peiris, business and human rights specialist, UNDP Sri Lanka
A. K. M. Azad Rahman, project coordinator, Local Government Initiative on Climate Change (LoGIC) & national coordinator, National Adaptation Plan, UNDP Bangladesh
Tomokazu Serizawa, programme specialist for climate and security risk, UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub (UNDP BRH)
Tarinee Suravoranon, business and human rights specialist, UNDP Thailand
Yusuke Taishi, senior technical advisor for climate change adaptation, UNDP Thailand
Bui Viet Hien, programme analyst on climate change and resilience, UNDP Vietnam
Christine Wellington-Moore, Asia-Pacific regional advisor on SDG Integration, UNDP BRH
Ramitha Wijethunga, national programme officer, UNDP Sri Lanka
For their technical support, we would also like to extend our gratitude to Sean Lees, business and human rights specialist, Belinda Hlatshwayo, monitoring and evaluation officer, and Jiahuan Yuan, communication officer, at the UNDP BRH.
While every effort has been taken to verify the accuracy of this information, Economist Impact cannot accept any responsibility or liability for reliance by any person on this report or any of the information, opinions or conclusions set out in this report. The findings and views expressed in the report do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsor.
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