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Businesses Have Many Opportunities to Support Myanmar’s Democratic and Peaceful Transition
Vicky Bowman presented on opportunities in Myanmar to develop Respectful Workplaces at the Myanmar-EU Economic Forum in Naypyidaw on 5 June, to complement the newly launched EuroCham Myanmar Responsible Business Initiative which focusses on:
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Sharing EuroCham member’s insights, views and best practices about responsible business,
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Promoting responsible and sustainable operations in Myanmar, and
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Encouraging better integration of sustainability and responsibility in the daily operations.
Her presentation outlined recent studies conducted on harassment in the workplace by IFC/Dana Facility, and by ILO/SIDA/H&M. She presented some highlights from the recent event which MCRB, IFC and a number of companies, including European ones, had held on 7 May. This was the fourth in a series of responsible business seminars. A variety of Myanmar and international businesses, many of them European, had shared their experiences and challenges in building diverse, respectful and inclusive workplaces, free from bullying, harassment and discrimination against employees and customers.
In particular Vicky highlighted Heineken’s approach globally, and in Myanmar, to promoting positive use of social media, and TOTAL’s global guidelines on handling issues of Religion in the Workplace. She also drew attention to the importance of recruiting people with disabilities, something which was highlighted in the subsequent Eurocham video which referred to Novotel Yangon’s commitment. She thanked the Myanmar and international businesses who had shown their support for sex and gender equality by participating in #IDAHOTMyanmar2019, the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia on 17 May by flying the flag at their premises or on their social media. These included ANZ Bank, Awba and the 8-Mile Business Centre, Capital Diamond Star Group, DeHeus Myanmar, ERM Myanmar, H&M, Heineken, Magic Event Myanmar, Metro Wholesale, Myanmar Bureau, Nestle, One to Watch, Padamyar FM, Rose Garden Hotel, Shwetaung, Unilever and Woodside Energy.
Vicky then participated in a panel on Myanmar’s economic development. In her panel remarks, Vicky highlighted how investors in Myanmar – whether local or foreign – could contribute not only to economic development but also democratization and peace. In addition to the role that they could play in promoting inclusion and tolerance through creating respectful workplaces, she also highlighted the importance of business integrity and corporate governance in the run-up to the 2020 election.
Noting that it was illegal for foreign organisations, including businesses, to make political donations in Myanmar (something to be welcomed), she encouraged foreign investors to ensure that their employees particularly in the field were fully aware of that. She suggested that companies establish clear policy and controls over donations including political donations, to ensure they did not fuel corruption. Since there are no Myanmar legal restrictions concerning donations to political parties by Myanmar companies, and the onus is therefore on the company to ensure the integrity of political contributions, she encouraged European investors whose HQ company have rules on this to share them with Myanmar business partners so as to improve overall governance of political party funding in Myanmar.
She also highlighted that businesses had an important role to play in supporting the development of a professional and independent media in Myanmar, including their ability to cover business and the economy. She noted that journalists were essential for good governance, which is what investors need to ensure the success of their investment in Myanmar. Business and the media, together with wider civil society and human rights defenders, shared the same civic space and had a common interest in protecting it. She encouraged companies to:
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engage with the media, by ensuring that they themselves had a professional media handling capacity, informative website and social media, and were responsive to enquiries;
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advertise with media committed to ethical values, and to avoid placing advertising with Myanmar social media ‘news’ sites which were engaged in stealing content from professional media and passing it off as their own, or promoting sensationalist clickbait, fake news or hateful content (see recent list published by the Myanmar Media Council – NB not the Myanmar Press Council); and to
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support and defend journalists through building ties in training programmes, and standing up for freedom of speech – including as a Chamber- when journalists were wrongfully arrested.
This was the Third EU-Myanmar Economic Forum, attended by several hundred Ministers, senior government officials and Myanmar and international businesses. The European Chamber launched their 2019 White Book of trade and investment policy recommendations in English and Myanmar.
