Business integrity goes well beyond anti-corruption compliance, and touches upon diversity, inclusion and gender equality. Phenomena like discrimination, gender pay gap, exclusion from business opportunities, bullying, and sexual and other types of harassment are all examples of integrity flaws that not only hamper the internal environment of a company, but also impact the lives of their employees and the communities in which they live. Recognizing and addressing these problems is key for companies that want to lead in both diversity and inclusion and business integrity, ultimately contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The report is the outcome of a research conducted across five of the ASEAN countries participating in the project: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam. It provides a snapshot of catalytic factors to foster gender equal leadership across three domains. Firstly, it explores how social norms shape gender roles and stereotypes that can limit women’s leadership prospects. Secondly, it identifies catalysts for an enabling environment, including laws and regulatory measures, and the role of coalitions and advocates. Finally, it highlights the role of companies and their organizational policies and practices in promoting gender equal leadership.   Explore key messages and summary of the report here. , full_html, The report is the outcome of a research conducted across five of the ASEAN countries participating in the project: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam. It provides a snapshot of catalytic factors to foster gender equal leadership.

With the global spread of COVID-19, businesses are facing bankruptcy at an unprecedented scale, resulting in job losses for millions. In this context, confidence in the durability of the global economy, and by extension the norms and institutions that support it, are being tested like never before. How businesses respond to the crisis—especially those firms who receive state support to continue operations—will shape public attitudes towards the private sector for years to come. In response to these circumstances, UNDP has designed a simple and accessible tool, the Human Rights Due Diligence and COVID-19: Rapid Self-Assessment for Business (C19 Rapid Self-Assessment), to help businesses consider and manage the human rights impacts of their operations. This non-exhaustive list of potential actions allows for rapid but continuous reflection on the human rights risks and impacts common to many industries. The C19 Rapid Self-Assessment is offered to companies as a partial but informative view of human rights actions in the specific context of COVID-19. The listed actions are based on relevant provisions of UN Human Rights Treaties, the ILO Fundamental Conventions, and the UNGPs. It is organized to present key actions or considerations along three stages of the COVID-19 crisis period: Prepare, Respond and Recover. The C19 Rapid-Self Assessment is also inspired and guided by the global UNDP COVID-19 Integrated Response Offer. The tool has been developed within the framework of the Business and Human Rights in Asia (B+HR Asia) programme as a joint product of the Enabling Sustainable Economic Growth through the Protect, Respect and Remedy Framework project funded by the European Union and the Promoting Responsible Business Practices through Regional Partnerships project funded by the Government of Sweden.   , full_html, This tool is designed to help businesses consider and manage the human rights impacts of their operations in the specific context of COVID-19. It presents key actions or considerations along three stages of the COVID-19 crisis period: Prepare, Respond and Recover.

The guidance note discusses the opportunities for parliaments to reinvigorate their ways of working to win back trust and revitalize their mandate as key democratic institutions. In the immediate to medium term, this opportunity lies in providing accountability for government-led response and recovery, and ensuring that the unprecedented amounts taxpayers’ money injected in the economy are not left to governments’ discretion. In the long-term, with the world facing perhaps a final chance to recommit to the 2030 Agenda, the note discusses how parliaments can exercise stewardship over people’s visions for a more equal, just, secure and sustainable society, determining and qualifying their needs and ensuring that these are met through government action during the times ahead. , full_html

The "Rights" Side of Life (RSL), is a Human Rights Survey to understand attitudes, awareness and perceptions of the public on a range of human rights issues in the Maldives. This is the third "Rights" Side of Life Survey -  a continuation of the two previous surveys conducted by the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) in partnership with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This latest survey was also conducted in collaboration with the Family Protection Authority and entails a strong focus on examining the knowledge, perception and prevalence of domestic violence in the Maldives, in addition to the attitudes and awareness of the general public on a range of human rights issues. The study collected data on these areas to understand the current situation in the country and provides insights on the extent of the additional work required to address any shortcomings. The information helps prioritize future directions for human rights promotion, prevention of domestic violence and assists in identifying areas for more research in the Maldives.   , full_html

Violent extremism remains a significant challenge for South-East Asia, but in no country does it pose an existential threat. In Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand, governments have the capacity to prevent it, while at the same time they should understand that it is unlikely to disappear completely. Whether violent extremism spreads, or is minimized, depends largely on how states react to its presence. The Entry and Exit Points study was commissioned by UNDP in partnership with the European Union. It examines some of the push and pull factors of violent extremism in South-East Asia—with a focus on the role of the state. The research, which took place over 18 months, is the result of a comprehensive literature analysis and 200 in-depth interviews with local and regional experts including practitioners, government, civil society organizations and academics working in the field of countering and preventing violence. This study summarizes four complementary in-depth papers that explore the localized and transnational factors that influence individuals to move towards extremism and violence in South-East Asia, and the responses that are needed to prevent it. , full_html, This study summarizes four complementary in-depth papers that explore the localized and transnational factors that influence individuals to move towards extremism and violence in South-East Asia, and the responses that are needed to prevent it.

​The COVID-19 pandemic has brought chaos, uncertainty and supply chain disruptions to the global economy, impacted lives and livelihoods, and tested the resilience of governance systems, institutions and mechanisms in responding to the crisis. As the technical lead for the socio-economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the UN system, UNDP and its Country Offices worldwide are working to assess the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on economies and communities to develop and implement effective strategies for COVID-19 response and recovery. Yet, there is a lack of knowledge and guidance on how to integrate transparency, accountability and anti-corruption in socio-economic impact analysis, and most socio-economic analyses do not assess the impact of COVID-19 from a governance and anti-corruption perspective. In addition, there is a lack of coordination between anti-corruption institutions and the institutions focusing on socio-economic aspects. This guidance note provides a practical methodology, including checklist questions, on how to integrate transparency, accountability and anti-corruption in social and economic needs assessment and response in the context of COVID-19. It elaborates on the following three steps to be taken: (1) Assess the overall impact of transparency, accountability and anti-corruption on policies/processes, institutions and the overall enabling environment for transparency, accountability and openness; (2) Assess the corruption risks in procurement processes, service delivery, health and emergency funds, and social safety nets and economic stimulus packages; (3) Integrate transparency, accountability and anti-corruption in socio-economic response. , full_html, This guidance note provides a practical methodology, including checklist questions, on how to integrate transparency, accountability and anti-corruption in social and economic needs assessment and response in the context of COVID-19.