SIPA Partners Principal Moderates United Nations Panel on Business and Human Rights

Romain Caillaud, Principal at SIPA Partners, recently co-moderated a high-level panel discussion examining business and human rights challenges in Myanmar. The October 26 event, jointly organized between the University of Tokyo's Research Center for Sustainable Peace (RCSP) and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), brought together leading experts to discuss how Japanese companies are navigating Myanmar's complex post-coup environment.

Since the military coup on February 1, 2021, international companies operating in Myanmar have faced unprecedented operational and human rights challenges. The military takeover, characterized by widespread political repression, violence against civilians, and escalating armed conflict, has fundamentally altered the business landscape and exposed critical gaps in how Japanese companies implement human rights due diligence.

Titled "Promoting Business Respect for Human Rights in Myanmar: Lessons from Japan," the panel brought together high-level expertise to address these challenges, including Professor Surya Deva, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to development and the former Chair of the UN Working Group on Business & Human Rights, and Todd Howland, Chief of the Development Economic Social Issues Branch at UN-OHCHR, who delivered opening remarks. Other panelists included the University of Tokyo’s Sam Baron, Curtin University's Dr. Htwe Htwe Thein, and the CEO of EuroCham Myanmar, Karina Ufert.

The discussion centered on how many Japanese companies, despite their strong corporate governance frameworks, had not fully integrated human rights considerations into their operational decision-making processes before the coup. This gap became particularly apparent as businesses struggled to assess the human rights implications of continuing operations under military rule, including potential complicity in human rights violations through tax payments, supply chain relationships, and other business activities.

The event underscored the evolving expectations placed on companies to demonstrate their commitment to human rights principles, not just through policy statements but through concrete actions and transparent reporting. SIPA Partners' role in moderating this panel highlights the firm's expertise in corporate sustainability and its nuanced understanding of the business and political dynamics shaping corporate strategy across Japan and Southeast Asia.

The event was part of the distinguished Hernán Santa Cruz dialogue series, a discussion series launched by the United Nations in 2020 to create a platform for exchanging ideas on economic and social rights. Named after Hernán Santa Cruz Barceló, a Chilean lawyer and early architect of the UN human rights system, the series has become a premier forum to discuss the advancement of economic policies that also enhance human rights.

Watch the full discussion on the University of Tokyo's online lecture platform.

About SIPA Partners

SIPA Partners is a Tokyo-based strategic intelligence and public affairs advisory firm dedicated to helping clients navigate risks, enhance their reputation, and build trusted stakeholder relationships. Specializing in Japan and Southeast Asia, we provide risk management and public policy research and advisory services. Our expertise ensures clients can preempt and mitigate risks, foresee and adapt to evolving policies and regulations, and seize opportunities in complex markets.

For more information, please visit www.sipa-partners.com or email contact@sipa-partners.com