Sustaining Human Rights and Responsibility: The United Nations Global Compact and Myanmar

Human Rights and Corporate Social Responsibility are not two concepts/perspectives that come to mind when dealing with Myanmar. Beginning in 2012 however, the country has made some determined efforts to promote liberal economic and political reforms in an effort to modernise and open itself to the world. In May 2012, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon successfully launched the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) in Myanmar. The initiative was endorsed by fifteen prominent Burmese business leaders who voiced their commitment to uphold the core principles of the Compact. This paper argues that despite its weakness, the UNGC has the potential to be an effective initiative for promoting ethical business in Myanmar. Drawing on constructivist theory, this paper frames the Compact as a transformative mechanism that incorporates the language of human rights and ethics into corporate and local business practices. Preliminary findings suggest that the UNGC’s launch in Burma is opening new space for ethical investors and the promotion of human rights standards in corporate and political governance.