The Human Rights Coalition has long been a champion for basic human rights and promoting social justice. Recently, the organization held a significant event designed to highlight the importance of practicing human rights due diligence in order to ensure that corporations and governments are held accountable for any violations of basic human rights. The event was attended by a number of prominent figures from various fields who came together to support the cause and to highlight the importance of promoting human rights. In this article, we will take a closer look at the event and its significance and examine why human rights due diligence is crucial for safeguarding our basic rights as human beings.
The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) Human Rights Coalition (HRC) collaborates with the Malaysian Ministry of Plantation and Commodities for the implementation of best practices for human rights due diligence (HRDD) in Malaysian palm oil companies. The collaboration aims to enhance productivity and resilience for suppliers, increase product exportability, and secure attractiveness for investors. The People Positive Palm Project (P3 Project), jointly implemented by the Fair Labor Association (FLA) and the International Organization for Migration, aims to eradicate forced labor from the Malaysian palm oil industry through collective action. The first workshop under the learning series was held on March 14, 2023, at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, attended by 35 organizations, including palm suppliers, government groups, HRC members, and local civil society organizations.
The workshop had representatives from FLA facilitate dialogues among companies on the role of due diligence in identifying, addressing, and preventing forced labor risks. It also discussed how it could be implemented in practice and the impact of mandatory due diligence legislation on business practices. The importance of proactivity in adopting responsible recruitment practices was emphasized to build a more resilient industry in times of sustainability challenges and regulatory changes. The ethical recruitment and employment of migrant workers, which make up 70% of the sector’s workforce, was the main focus of the discussion. The workshop concluded with companies agreeing to take a collective approach to eliminating forced labor to address its systemic roots effectively.
The P3 Project fosters collective action and advocacy to address the root causes of forced labor and focuses primarily on the Malaysian palm oil sector, given the progress many suppliers have made in the sustainability field. The project seeks to support palm oil suppliers in developing the necessary management systems for addressing forced labor and aligning their practices with current and upcoming legal requirements on HRDD, including Malaysia’s National Action Plan on Forced Labor.
The project builds on the CGF’s history of work addressing forced labor related to palm oil production, including a groundbreaking report on forced labor risks in the Malaysian and Indonesian palm oil sectors issued by the CGF and FLA in 2018. The workshop was the first in a series of learning sessions that the project would host, and a roundtable dialogue between business, civil society, and government actors on responsible recruitment is set to be hosted in spring 2023 in Kuala Lumpur.
Didier Bergeret, Director of Sustainability, The Consumer Goods Forum, expressed his pleasure in seeing key actors come together to drive the action needed to transform the Malaysian palm industry and ensure human rights are protected, respected, and remedied throughout the value chain. Companies’ engagement in addressing the issue is critical to ensuring respect for the rights of vulnerable workers in many members’ supply chains. By building necessary know-how and a commitment to drive changes in mindsets and practices, these trainings aim to make a lasting difference in the lives of workers and their communities.
Paul Lalli, Global VP, Human Rights, The Coca-Cola Company, and HRC Co-chair, also expressed his belief that the workshop would support palm oil suppliers’ critical human rights journey in Malaysia. He emphasized the need to build a commitment to drive changes in mindsets to make a lasting difference in the lives of workers and their communities. Sharon Waxman, President, and CEO of Fair Labor Association, welcomed the opportunity for organizing the workshop with the Ministry of Plantation and Commodities and hoped that it would facilitate the implementation of Malaysia’s National Action Plan on Forced Labor.
The Human Rights Coalition is a CEO-led initiative hosted by The Consumer Goods Forum, and as the leading collective of consumer goods companies strengthening due diligence throughout their business practices, it ensures workers’ rights are protected, respected, and remedied at every step of the value chain. The work of the HRC continues the CGF’s history of engagement on the issue of forced labor within consumer goods supply chains. Its focus is building on the CGF’s Social Resolution on Forced Labor, its Priority Industry Principles, and ongoing relationships with key stakeholders in the industry.
