Former UK envoy now promoting responsible business

Bowman, who served as UK ambassador to Myanmar from 2002 to 2006, said the centre will raise awareness on understanding of the needs and priorities for responsible business in the country and will provide a platform for dialogue between businesses, civil society and the government.

The characteristics of responsible business include obeying the law, respecting human rights, being committed to avoiding corruption and bribery, paying taxes, respecting employees and the environment, treating customers and other businesses responsibly, being transparent and engaging with stakeholders.

"Responsible business also requires enhanced due diligence to determine what impacts business activities may have on human rights. This is critical in countries such as Myanmar with a population of at least one-third ethnic minorities, conflict among ethnic groups, and which is emerging from decades of authoritarian rule and a long period of economic sanctions," she said.

In addition to capacity building, the centre is also engaging in advocacy on policy and regulatory reforms, such as environmental and social impact assessments and corporate social responsibility programmes. Currently funded by a consortium of international donors including the UK's Department for International Development, the centre will facilitate dialogue and processes aimed at building national and local capacity and partnerships on business and human rights-related issues. It will also undertake research and publish sector-wide impact assessments on specific industries, including oil and gas, tourism, information and communications technology and agriculture.

"We provide free initial advice to foreign investors about the business and human-rights landscape of Myanmar. We put both foreign and local businesses in contact with relevant local stakeholders and initiatives. And we also suggest professional services that can help them deepen their understanding," said Bowman.

The centre agreed in January to forge a partnership with the Myanmar Business Coalition on Aid to establish a corporate social responsibility (CSR) network beyond Yangon that will work with local businesses, mainly small and medium sized enterprises, to deepen their understanding of CSR. "We hope this will lead to the building of local and national coalitions for responsible business," the former ambassador said.

Bowman added that the centre will be offering further advice to Myanmar companies on best practice on anti-corruption and respect for human rights to enable them to improve their performance over the coming months, and will work with Transparency International to raise awareness on responsible business.

Bowman was quick to praise Transparency International. "They have done a lot of training for companies around the world on individual actions by companies, and collective actions by lots of companies to fight corruption. They’ve worked in countries like Vietnam, Malaysia. They will bring some of their experience here and share it with local companies," she said.