The dilemmas faced by international brands sourcing in Myanmar are both practical and ethical, and their decisions having significant impacts on rightsholders – mostly women garment workers – in Myanmar:

• Can heightened due diligence be conducted in a country where human rights, including the right to freedom of association, are under severe threat.

• If so, how? And what should they be communicating?

• What role does collective action by companies play?

• How can development partners support companies in conducting heightened human rights due diligence, and support human rights defenders to make an input?

• What else can companies which source from Myanmar do to support workers and the broader population in the current crisis? What is the role of multi-stakeholder initiatives, such as MADE in Myanmar?

• If European companies stop sourcing from Myanmar, can they do so responsibly? What will be the consequences?

This session will offer some answers to these questions and hear how brands, development partners, trade unions and labour rights defenders are working, individually and together, to address the challenges. It will also provide an update on the progress of the Multi-stakeholder Alliance for Decent Employment (MADE) in Myanmar project.

For more information, please feel free to reach out at events@eurocham-myanmar.org