A new initiative by the International Labour Organization (ILO) is empowering company representatives in Thailand's automotive and electronics sectors to serve as mentors in their firms and their supply chains, helping translate responsible business conduct (RBC) from a policy commitment to everyday business practice.
Implemented under the ILO's Advancing Responsible Supply Chains and Decent Work in Asia (RSC) project, with support from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the four-day programme builds on a wider dialogue-driven Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) training programme, which has already reached more than 50 companies across Thailand's automotive, auto-parts and electronics supply chains since its launch in June 2026.
The mentorship programme takes HRDD training a step further. It is designed for representatives who already have a foundational understanding of social dialogue and the due diligence process, whether through the RSC training, other programmes or their own professional experience. Participants learn how to facilitate learning, mentor colleagues and support the practical application of HRDD within their enterprises and across supply-chain relationships.
In July and August 2026, representatives from seven automotive and electronics companies took part in the mentoring sessions, including major multinational firms and large and small Thai manufacturers and suppliers. Management and workers' representatives engaged jointly throughout, reflecting the programme's focus on bipartite dialogue and cooperation as the basis for lasting and sustainable HRDD processes.
"HRDD is not entirely new to our company - we already had various processes in place, along with labour and social audits covering hundreds of suppliers. But this mentorship programme helps us strengthen the capacity of our people to train and mentor colleagues and extend good practices further down the supply chain," said Kanlaya Paul, International Supply Chain Manager at AutoAlliance (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
The programme responds to a growing need for companies to strengthen their capacity to identify, prevent and address human rights risks while navigating evolving regulatory and market expectations on responsible business conduct. Participating companies will also develop enterprise-specific HRDD improvement plans and receive tailored follow-up support to help translate learning into practical action.
"Our HRDD policy is developed by our headquarters and cascaded across our plants worldwide, including in Thailand. This mentorship programme helps us strengthen our capability to translate that policy into practice, share knowledge with colleagues and support more effective and sustainable application across the enterprise and supply chain," said Narissara Simmarkum, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Administrator at QMB Co., Ltd. (Quanta Thailand).
© Noppavut Pravat/ILO
Practical lessons and experiences from the programme will be shared with other HRDD practitioners at the UN Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum, 14-17 September 2026, bringing experience from Thailand's automotive and electronics sector experience to the wider global discussion on advancing HRDD in practice. HRDD in Motion, a new guide developed under the ILO RSC project, will incorporate these training and mentoring modules for wider industry benefit.
"Human rights due diligence depends on people who can turn policies into action -and who are committed to making it last through bipartite dialogue and joint solutions. We hope the lessons and experiences from our mentoring and training programme will help spur wider uptake of HRDD in Thailand, especially among manufacturers in export-oriented supply chains," said Mattie Milliken, ILO Project Technical Officer.
Thailand is one of the world's leading producers and exporters of automotive and electronics products, employing more than one million workers and playing a strategic role in global supply chains. Bringing together leading multinational enterprises (MNEs) and an extensive network of predominantly domestic suppliers, the industry is navigating significant transition pressures driven by technological change, the shift towards electric vehicles and low carbon mobility, and growing scrutiny of human rights risks in corporate supply chains.
