Status
The Malaysian Government committed to developing a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights on 24 March 2015, after welcoming the Strategic Framework for a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights produced by SUHAKAM, the National Human Rights Commission of Malaysia. The Strategic Framework articulates a set of policy objectives and related recommendations, based on the UN Guiding Principles, for the Government’s consideration in developing its NAP on Business and Human Rights.
On 24 June 2019 the Minister of Laws, YB Liew, formally announced a cabinet decision to launch a process to develop a business and human rights NAP.
It was widely reported in October 2023, that the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said committed to developing a comprehensive National Business and Human Rights Action Plan (NBHRAP) 2025-2030 to boost economic growth while championing the welfare of the people. This commitment was made at conference on Malaysia’s Baseline Assessment on Business and Human Rights, which was held in collaboration between the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department (BHEUU), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) and Delegation of the European Union to Malaysia.
National Baseline Assessment (NBA)
On 27 July 2022, the Collective of Applied Law of Legal Realism (CALR), the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) and the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department (BHEUU) hosted the first consultation on business and human rights, focusing on migrants, irregular migrants, refugees and asylum seekers as part of the NBA process. The consultation involved representatives from CSOs, NGOs and grassroots and community-based organisations.
