Dhaka advocates for corporate accountability, environmental justice

Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan today (17 March) urged a reimagination of corporate roles in environmental protection, emphasising that safeguarding environmental rights is a collective responsibility involving governments, businesses, civil society and communities.

The environment adviser made the remarks while delivering speech joining virtually from Dhaka in the Opening Plenary of the Corporate Sustainability and Environmental Rights in Asia Conference, held in the morning at the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand on the theme "The Right to a Clean, Healthy, and Sustainable Environment: Redefining Corporate Engagement."

She underscored the necessity of strong legal frameworks, stressing that while some countries recognise environmental rights through judicial interpretation, many still lack explicit constitutional provisions.

"This must change," she said, adding that an overly anthropocentric approach risks neglecting biodiversity, and called for legal frameworks rooted in sustainable development, the precautionary principle, the polluter-pays principle and due diligence.

Rizwana criticised the double standards in environmental regulations, pointing out how stringent conditions are imposed on developing countries' exports while lax standards govern imports from developed nations.

The adviser highlighted the shipbreaking industry's hazardous waste transfers and the disparity in air pollution standards, noting, "The lungs of a Western citizen are no different from the lungs of a Bangladeshi citizen."

Addressing corporate social responsibility (CSR), she argued that voluntary CSR principles are insufficient and should be legally binding to ensure true corporate accountability.

Rizwana called on states to incorporate key environmental principles into enforceable laws, ensuring that businesses cannot sidestep responsibility.

Transparency, public participation, and access to justice were central to her speech. She stressed the need for laws ensuring public access to environmental information, citing that while some nations have Right to Information Acts, many exclude corporate environmental data, limiting communities' ability to assess business impacts.

She also urged governments to foster public participation in decision-making and protect environmental defenders rather than stifling activism under restrictive regulations.

Rizwana Hasan called for strengthening environmental tribunals, learning from successful legal models worldwide. In Bangladesh, she noted, community engagement has led to legal action against corporations for environmental violations.

She emphasised that corporate responsibility must begin with preventive action rather than damage control, advocating for compensation funds dedicated to ecological restoration.

Warning against corporate "greenwashing", she urged governments, businesses and communities to ensure that sustainability certifications are credible.

She also highlighted corporate control over media narratives, cautioning against misinformation that undermines environmental activism.

Environment emphasised the role of environmental education in fostering responsible societies.

"Children who grow up with environmental awareness will ensure corporate accountability," she said, asserting that neither governments nor corporations have the right to destroy nature. "If you cannot create an ocean, a forest, or a mountain, you have no right to destroy them."