Together with partners in the Global Initiative for Corporate Accountability, Above Ground sent a letter to the drafters of Thailand’s mHREDD bill, calling for an inclusive and transparent consultation process and a high level of ambition.
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Rights and Liberties Protection Department, Ministry of Justice, Thailand:
Mr. Triyarith Temahiwong, Director General
Ms. Nareeluc Pairchaiyapoom, Director, International Human Rights Division
Legislative drafters:
Ms. Liesbeth Unger, Director, Human Rights at Work
Dr. Phattharaphong Phil Saengkrai, Lecturer, Thammasat University
European Union Delegation to Thailand:
Ms. Laure Brachet, Head of Political Press and Information Section
Ms. Piangtawan Sodprasert, Political Officer
United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights:
Ms. Pichamon Yeophantong, Chairperson and Member
30 March 2026
A strong human rights due diligence law for Thailand
Dear Directors and Colleagues,
We are civil society organizations from around the world working to advance laws that hold companies accountable for harms linked to their business activities. We welcome recent developments in Thailand aimed at introducing mandatory human rights due diligence legislation. If enacted and effectively implemented, strong legislation could position Thailand as a regional leader in business and human rights.
We encourage you to conduct genuine, inclusive, and transparent consultations with affected communities, workers, and civil society organizations throughout the drafting period. In many contexts, consultation processes risk becoming a procedural exercise that fails to reflect the perspectives of those most affected by corporate abuse. Meaningful engagement requires ensuring that community representatives, human rights and labour rights defenders, and independent civil society groups are able to participate in consultations freely, and that their input is reflected in the substance of the law.
We also encourage you not to treat the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive as the benchmark. While the Directive represents an important step forward, the final text falls short of the expectations of many affected individuals and communities. Thailand has an opportunity to set an important regional precedent by aiming higher. A strong due diligence law should align with international standards, including those set out by the OECD, and incorporate the key elements for effective due diligence laws identified by the Global Initiative for Corporate Accountability.
This means the Thai law must go beyond prevention and mitigation, and guarantee access to remedy and accountability when harm occurs. It should include clear provisions on corporate liability, ensure affected individuals and communities can access justice, and establish mechanisms for companies to provide or contribute to remediation where they have caused or contributed to harm. Without these measures, due diligence risks becoming a mere tick-box exercise rather than a meaningful tool for protecting rights.
Finally, we would like to offer our support throughout this process. Our experience advocating for corporate accountability laws in diverse jurisdictions – including Europe and parts of the Americas, Africa and Asia – has given us substantial expertise on legislative design and implementation. We would be grateful for a meeting to share these learnings with you.
We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Karen Hamilton
Director, Above Ground
On behalf of the undersigned organizations:
- Above Ground [Canada]
- African Coalition for Corporate Accountability (ACCA)
- Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability (CNCA)
- Corporate Justice Coalition (CJC) [United Kingdom]
- European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ)
- Human Rights and Business Institute (HOMA) [Brazil]
- Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC) [Australia]
- International Corporate Accountability Roundtable (ICAR) [United States]
- Korean Transnational Corporations Watch (KTNC Watch) [South Korea]
- Manushya Foundation [Thailand]
- Partners in Change (PiC) [South Asia]
- Project on Organization, Development, Education and Research (PODER) [Mexico]