ILO welcomes Malaysia's first National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights and the country’s commitment to promote decent work

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By adopting its first National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, Malaysia reinforces its commitment to eliminate forced labour, promote fair recruitment and uphold labour rights in business practices.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) welcomes Malaysia's first National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (NAPBHR), which reflects an aspiration of economic development and normative business conduct that protects and respects human rights in business operations.

“As the United Nations agency with the mandate to establish international labour standards and support member States in their effective application, the International Labour Organization welcomes the inclusion of a labour pillar in the national action plan. This reflects Malaysia’s strong commitment to upholding these standards and reinforcing their effective application,” said Xiaoyan Qian, Director of ILO Decent Work Technical Support Team for East and South-East Asia and the Pacific and Country Office for Thailand, Cambodia and Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

Developed in alignment with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), the NAPBHR covers the period 2025-2030  and sets a clear path for the government to strengthen concrete actions to protect human rights in business operations and enhance corporate accountability. It puts forward a cohesive approach to improving the respect of human rights in business operations which leverages the guidance offered by the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct (OECD Guidelines) and the ILO Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy (MNE Declaration).

Reinforcing Responsible Business Conduct for decent work

Launched on 12 August 2025, Malaysia's first NAPBHR includes labour as one of its thematic priorities.   It covers a wide range of labour issues including the elimination of forced labour, non-discrimination, wages, freedom of association, collective bargaining and social dialogue.

The NAPBHR refers to several ILO instruments - international labour standards – as well as the ILO’s instrument on responsible business conduct (RBC), the ILO MNE Declaration. Specifically on the elimination of forced labour, the NAPBHR references key ILO instruments,  with the strong commitment to eliminate forced labour by 2030 in accordance with the ILO Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) and its Protocol of 2014 (P029), and  adopt fair recruitment practices expected by the global marketplace in line with the ILO General Principles and operational guidelines for fair recruitment.

ILO support for implementation

The ILO has enhanced the awareness and knowledge of the International Labour Standards and Responsible Business Conduct through various projects in Malaysia including “Building Responsible Value Chain in Asia through the Promotion of Decent Work in Business Operations” Project (RVC-II), funded by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan. In February 2025, the project brought together key national stakeholders to develop  a national roadmap to promote responsible business conduct for the realization of decent work based on the guidance and approach of the MNE Declaration and in synergy with national efforts to promote the Business and Human Rights agenda and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in Malaysia.

The ILO supported the development of the NAPBHR through various consultations, technical advice and capacity building for its constituents - government officials, employers' and workers’ organizations - to enable them to play an active role in the development and implementation of the labour dimension of the NAPBHR. 
As stated by YBhg. Datuk Zamri Bin Misman, Director General, Legal Affairs Division from the Prime Minister’s Department: “Moving forward, the success of the NAPBHR will rely on continued collaboration and commitment from all stakeholders.” 

The ILO stands ready to support the Ministry of Human Resources (KESUMA) and the social partners to ensure the effective implementation of the labour pillar of the NAPBHR.

Malaysia is a member State of the ILO since 1957. Malaysia has ratified a total of 19 ILO Conventions plus 1 Protocol. Out of these, 15 ILO Conventions are currently in force.