7 days ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
New business-human rights plan paves way for corporate manslaughter, anti-SLAPP laws
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has launched its first National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (NAPBHR) 2025–2030, setting a national framework to integrate human rights into corporate governance.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said implementation of the plan would be phased, with potential future reforms including a Corporate Manslaughter Act, anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) legislation, and supply chain due diligence laws.
"This milestone reflects our firm commitment to the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and comes at a historic moment as Malaysia assumes the chairmanship of Asean," she said in her speech at the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) today.
Also present were her deputy M. Kulasegaran, Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Hishamudin Md Yunus, and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Malaysia resident representative Edward Vrkić.
"The success of this plan demands more than government effort, it requires shared ownership.
"Businesses must measure success not only by profits, but by ethical conduct, sustainability, and respect for human rights," Azalina said.
She said the Legal Affairs Division had led the initiative since Cabinet approval in 2019, engaging ministries, civil society, Indigenous communities, unions, and the private sector.
The plan is anchored on three pillars, namely, labour, environment and governance, while tackling issues from forced labour and unsafe work to environmental accountability and regulatory reform.
