Asia Pacific is an immensely varied region, and this diversity offers challenges as well as opportunities for innovative responses to the business and human rights (BHR) discourse. The region is home to a range of political systems that influence how BHR debates and practices manifest locally, and how civil society actors engage with national, regional and international decision makers amidst shrinking civic space. Despite increased economic growth and lowering rates of extreme poverty, economic inequality, close state-business nexus and corruption are fraying the political and social fabric in the region. Climate change is impacting all Asia Pacific countries with a range of crises from flooding to desertification and submerging island nations, resulting in forced population displacement. At the same time, business-related environmental pollution and loss of biodiversity can be seen across Asia Pacific. Harsh and repressive working conditions, including modern slavery and human trafficking, continue to be endemic in the region, including in informal economy. Then there are challenges related to intersectional discrimination and marginalisation of individuals or groups related to business activities.
Despite these incredible challenges, civil society actors like trade unions, non-governmental organisations, the media and academia continue to be at the forefront of steering the BHR discourse in the Asia Pacific region, including by demanding accountability of companies for human rights abuses. States are taking steps to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights by development national action plans or national guidelines to promote responsible business conduct, while companies are slowly getting used to the concept of human rights due diligence.
Against this backdrop, this special issue of the Business and Human Rights Journal (BHRJ) will bring together leading scholars and practitioners to examine critically BHR challenges, developments and strategies in Asia Pacific.
We invite scholarly articles (9,000–12,000 words, including footnotes) that critically analyse BHR issues in Asia Pacific. The articles may adopt these issues from a historical, theoretical, comparative or empirical perspective. Articles focusing on cross-national themes and comparative in nature are especially welcome.
In addition to long articles, shorter pieces for the Development in the Field (DiF) section of the BHRJ are also invited. DiF pieces should be around 2,000-3,000 words long and focus on timely and current milestones, innovations or other developments in the field of BHR and related areas. Ideally, the focus should be on capturing a concrete and specific development or series of developments in Asia Pacific. Contributions from scholars and practitioners based in the region are especially encouraged.
Topics for articles and DiF pieces may include, but are not limited to:
• Labour rights abuses in supply chains, including human trafficking and modern slavery
• Sustainable economic development, environmental pollution and loss of biodiversity
• Responses to climate change and climate change-induced migration and displacement
• Differentiated and intersectional impacts of business activities on individuals and groups
• Forced displacement of indigenous or tribal peoples
• BHR issues in informal economy, or in specific sectors such as agriculture, extractives, manufacturing, fishing, tourism, domestic labour and construction
• Human rights impacts of new technologies such as those related to surveillance, artificial intelligence and automated decision making, data collection, and social media
• Approaches and strategies to seek access to remedy for business-related human rights abuses
• Role of civil society actors in promoting business respect for human rights and corporate accountability
• National action plans and other national/regional initiatives to implement the UNGPs
Abstract submission and timelines
Please send an abstract of no more than 500 words to bhrj.asia@gmail.com by 31 July 2023 specifying author(s), affiliation, email and draft title of the intended paper. Please indicate clearly whether your abstract is for a scholarly article or a DiF piece. All submissions should follow the BHRJ style guide.
The anticipated timelines for the special issue are as follows:
• Deadline for submission of abstracts: 31 July 2023
• Notification to authors regarding acceptance of abstracts: 11 August 2023
• Deadline to submit extended abstracts / work-in-progress drafts of the article: 22 September 2023
• Deadline to submit first complete draft: 31 January 2024
• Peer review, finalisation of revised papers and editing: 2024
• Publication of the special issue: 2025
Writing workshop
The authors of selected scholarly articles will be invited to present their work-in-progress drafts at a writing workshop to be held in Bangkok in early October 2023. Participation in the workshop is strongly encouraged. More information will be shared with the selected participants in due course, including potential funding for some article authors.
Guest Editors
1. Harpreet Kaur, Business and Human Rights Specialist, United Nations Development Programme, Asia Pacific, Bangkok
2. Shelley Marshall, Associate Professor, College of Business and Law, RMIT University, Melbourne
3. Bill Taylor, Associate Professor, Public and International Affairs Department, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
4. Rashmi Venkatesan, Assistant Professor, National Law School of India University, Bangalore