Pilot on Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains in Southeast Asia
(2019-2020)
INFORMATION SHEETBACKGROUND TO THE SOUTHEAST ASIA AGRICULTURAL PILOTThe Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the International Labour
Organization (ILO) have jointly launched a 3-year programme on “Responsible Supply Chains in Asia” to raiseawareness and build capacity on international standards on responsible business conduct in supply chains. The
programme is funded by the European Union (EU) and includes activities with regional and national policy makers inAsia, as well as with business. As part of this programme, the OECD is conducting a pilot with and for agribusinesses
in Southeast Asia to promote understanding and uptake of the OECD-FAO Guidance for Responsible Agricultural
Supply Chains (OECD-FAO Guidance). The pilot is a unique opportunity for agribusiness companies in Myanmar, thePhilippines, Thailand and Viet Nam to understand how supply chain due diligence can help strengthen their risk
management practices, meet expectations on responsible supply chains of key export markets and support business
contributions towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

BENEFITS OF THE SOUTHEAST ASIA AGRICULTURAL PILOT
Participation in the pilot can help companies:‒‒‒‒

Meet responsible supply chain expectations from key markets such as the EU, the US, Canada, Japan, South
Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Israel and others. 48 countries support the recommendations of the OECD-FAO
Guidance
Adopt international expectations into company operations and along the agribusiness value chain
Increase company visibility in responsible corporate behaviour with key stakeholders including policy makers andinvestors from key export markets
Learn from corporate peers and responsible business experts from the OECD and ILO

PARTICIPATION CRITERIA
The pilot is open to agribusiness companies operating in the four countries of Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailandand Viet Nam. Companies can be from any food related commodity chain and be of any size. Participants must speak
English as all activities will be in English.
Commercial confidentiality will be strictly protected. In the reports and analysis, there will be no ranking of individualcompanies. Companies will have the opportunity to be publicly recognised in pilot communications should they wish
and can reference their participation in the pilot in their own communications.
There is no cost to participate in the pilot. Please sign up by email to Rena Hinoshita at Rena.Hinoshita@oecd.org by
1 July 2019.
Operating country
Operating sector

Business type

MyanmarPhilippines
Thailand
Viet Nam
Agriculture andFood
Agriculture
Seafood
Seafood‒ Input suppliers‒ On-farm enterprises, co-operatives and producer associations‒ Food and beverage manufacturers‒ Traders, distributors and wholesalers‒ Retailers and supermarkets‒ Investors

EXPECTED COMPANY COMMITMENTS
Companies are expected to commit and engage actively in pilot activities for the full duration of the pilot from July
2019 through December 2020. The success of peer learning webinars in particular will depend on the willingness ofpilot participants to share their experiences.

June/July 2019

• Information session on the pilot at the OECD Global Forum on Responsible BusinessConduct on 12 June in Bangkok, Thailand• This session provides companies with an opportunity to provide feedback to the OECD totailor the pilot's approach to meet their needs and to develop survey questions

Q3/Q4 2019

• Fill out a survey (about 20-25 questions) on the company's current CSR/due diligencepractices - this may be supplemented with a telephone interview with individual companies• Receive a quarterly pilot newsletter which includes useful tools, research and event
information of interest to agribusiness companies• Stay informed on an opportunity to meet in region with peers, stakeholders and experts• Receive a report of aggregated data and findings on the companies' existing CSR/due
diligence understanding and practices• Identify webinar topics for further learning and training based on the survey findings
By end 2019

Q1/Q2 2020

Q3/Q4 2020

Q4 2020• Participate in up to 4 peer learning webinars (90 minutes per each) to deepen
understanding of challenging topics on due diligence [see possible topics on the next page]• These webinars are an opportunity to share good practices and learn from peers. The
OECD can help connect companies to international experts and stakeholders who are
working to promote responsible agricultural supply chains on specific topics and address
challenges facing companies• Provide feedback to the OECD on learnings and changes in supply chain due diligencepolicies and practices made over the course of the pilot, as well as remaining challenges
facing companies (a short feedback form and a conference call)• Receive a report on key learnings from the pilot and recommendations to promote due
diligence in the agricultural sector in Southeast Asia
• Take part in a final meeting in the region to share views with policy makers andstakeholders such as the EU, OECD and ILO and discuss collaborative approaches to address
challenges in implementing due diligencePEER LEARNING WEBINARS
Up to four peer learning webinars will be carried out over the course of the pilot. The webinars are a safe space forcompanies to share their experiences, learn good practices and discuss challenges. Pilot participants will have an
opportunity to decide the topics of the peer learning sessions.
Below are some possible topics:‒‒‒‒‒

Addressing gaps between policy commitments and implementation actions in agricultural due diligence
Understanding risks and good practice management approaches for informal and seasonal labour
Improving supply chain mapping and traceability – moving beyond Tier 1 suppliers and understanding control
pointsIntegrating meaningful stakeholder engagement into the due diligence processIncorporating a gender perspective in due diligence management systems

OECD-FAO RESPONSIBLE AGRICULTURAL SUPPLY CHAINS GLOBAL PILOT
In 2018, the OECD and the Food andAgriculture Organization of the United
Nations (FAO) launched a global pilot
to understand due diligence practices
with over 30 agribusiness companies,
investors and industry initiatives.
Companies provided information on
their current due diligence policies andpractices and participated in peer
learning webinars organised by theOECD and FAO. The findings from theglobal pilot are published in the 2018baseline report. A final reportdocumenting learnings from the global
pilot will be published in late 2019.

CONTACTOECD Responsible Business Conduct Unit
Ms. Rena HINOSHITA <Rena.Hinoshita@oecd.org>; Ms. Shivani KANNABHIRAN <Shivani.KANNABHIRAN@oecd.org>

FOR MORE INFORMATION
OECD-FAO Guidance for Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains:
http://mneguidelines.oecd.org/OECD-FAO-Guidance.pdf
Responsible Supply Chains in Asia programme fact sheet:
http://mneguidelines.oecd.org/Responsible-Supply-Chains-in-Asia-Fact-Sheet.pdf
OECD-FAO global pilot 2018 baseline report:
http://mneguidelines.oecd.org/Baseline-Report-on-OECD-FAO-Guidance-For-Responsible-Agricultural-SupplyChains.pdf

WEBSITESOECD Responsible Business Conduct – Global Partnerships:
http://mneguidelines.oecd.org/globalpartnerships/
OECD Responsible Business Conduct – Agricultural Supply Chains:https://mneguidelines.oecd.org/rbc-agriculture-supply-chains.htm

With funding by the European Union