“Youth belong in the rooms where the rules are written”: DMUN Foundation at the 8th United Nations Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum

Mr. Harshan Manigandan Vidya, Deputy Executive Director of the DMUN Foundation, took part in the 8th United Nations Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum, Asia-Pacific, held at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok from 14 to 17 September 2026. The Forum is the region’s leading platform on business and human rights. It is convened by UNDP, OHCHR, the ILO and IOM, and brings together governments, businesses, investors, civil society and rights holders.

Over the four days, he took an active part in plenaries, workshops, deep dives and simulations, contributing to sessions on topics including grievance mechanisms in Bangladesh’s garment sector, selection bias in participatory research with workers, the invisibility of informal workers in supply chain data, and privacy-preserving approaches to labour data.

His question at the deep dive on grievance mechanisms was displayed on the hall screens for the panel to address.

During the Forum, he engaged with representatives of the United Nations Development Programme, the International Organization for Migration, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, The Remedy Project, Open Supply Hub, and government officials from across the region.

“Business and human rights can sound like a conversation only between governments and corporations. But it must include every stakeholder: international agencies, civil society and, above all, young people, who are often the workers these supply chains depend on. Youth are capable of far more than we are given room for, and forums like this are where that room is made,” Mr. Harshan said.

“Responsible business is the future our generation will inherit. We intend to help write it.”

This article is part of the Foundation’s public record of its engagements and programmes.

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