Beyond transnational litigation which seeks to hold corporations accountable for their misconduct overseas through judicial recourse, the risk of human rights abuses should be mitigated by embedding good practices locally through domestic laws and policies. The United Nations proposed Guiding Principles for transnational and other businesses for this purpose in 2011. It has been suggested that National Actions Plans should give effect, or at the very least policy coherence, to the international standards enshrined in the Guiding Principles. This article argues that, properly devised, such plans are invaluable, and can help to reinforce regional imperatives under international law. In Southeast Asia, particularly, the prospect of corporate accountability should be measured by existing or emergent regulatory norms in ASEAN, a regional bloc that aims to achieve parity of rules and regulations across the ten countries through economic integration.

• Mahdev Mohan(Law and Director of Asian Business and Rule of Law initiative at Singapore Management University)