The Asia Steering Group of the Zero Tolerance Initiative, a global coalition led by indigenous peoples, local community representatives and supportive Non-Government Organizations working collectively to address the root causes of killings and violence against human rights defenders linked to global supply chains, met on May 28 – 30, 2023 in Chiang Mai, Thailand to review and discuss the workplan for the region.
Attending the said meeting were steering group members, Bann Lann (Myanmar), Stony (POINT), Durga (LAHURNIP), Abigail Kitma (Tebtebba), and facilitated by Anya Thomas (Asia coordinator) and AIPP staff Frederick Wilson (AIPP), Guanchunliu Gangmei (AIPP), among others. Pallab Chakma (Kapaeeng Foundation) was also invited and subsequently approved as steering group member for Bangladesh.
The meeting included a recapitulation of the activities and work streams of Zero Tolerance Initiative (ZTI), as well as updating of community, national and regional experiences in the business and human rights space and brainstorming and review of the current workplan which was first drafted in the previous years.
The three-day meeting and workshop concluded with several reflections from the steering group on possible next steps, including the need to invite and expand the ZTI membership in Asia, the need to engage in regional mechanisms relevant to business and human rights, and the need for continuous support for the empowerment of indigenous communities to assert their rights.
For more information on what ZTI does, check the website: https://www.zerotoleranceinitiative.org/