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MCRB Hosts a Roundtable Between Myanmar Civil Society Organisations and the Caux Roundtable Japan
On 23 June, MCRB hosted a discussion between the Caux Roundtable Japan and trade union and labour rights activists, organisations working on other business and human rights issues, at the Rose Garden Hotel, Yangon.
Hiroshi Ishida, Executive Director of CRT-Japan explained the history of the Caux Roundtable and gave a presentation on their current round of stakeholder engagement workshops on business and human rights issues in south-east asia, including Thailand, Malaysia and Myanmar. These discussions are intended for Japanese businesses operating in those countries and national and international NGOs (including labour organisations). The roundtable was an opportunity for organisations to raise concerns that CRT could convey to Japanese businesses.
The participants discussed the current state of labour relations in Myanmar, including in the garment sector where some Japanese companies operate, and also discussed land issues, including an update on the Thilawa Special Economic Zone. The main messages of participants were that Japanese companies needed to understand and comply with Myanmar law, particular labour law, and laws on freedom of association; and they needed to communicate more and provide more information about their activities.
The discussion was also an opportunity to present Bluenumber, an online traceability system which CRT-Japan is supporting the use for Japanese companies. Bluenumber which is currently being piloted in the agriculture sector, provides individual IDs could help individual producers to identify and market themselves, including any sustainability certification. Myanmar Awba is a supporter of Bluenumber and has helped som smallholder producers in Myanmar to already registered themselves on the system.
