Conducting Meaningful Stakeholder Consultation in Myanmar

By Shift • April 30, 2013

The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights include guidance on the role of meaningful consultation by companies with their stakeholders, particularly those groups that are impacted directly by company operations. Meaningful consultation can assist companies both to gauge and to mitigate their risk of involvement with human rights impacts. Just as the importance of meaningful consultation increases in high-risk contexts such as Myanmar, so too does the complexity involved in structuring such consultations. Shift’s April 2013 report is designed to assist companies with this challenge, as they consider or commence operations in Myanmar. The report (1) provides a survey of stakeholder views regarding the entry of companies into Myanmar; and (2) sets out key elements for companies to consider in their stakeholder engagement strategies.