UNIVERSITAS AIRLANGGA NEWS – Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR), as one of the best universities in Indonesia, has made another achievement on the international scene. Not only students, but UNAIR lecturers have also actively made contributions in making academic achievements.
This time, UNAIR Faculty of Law lecturer, Iman Prihandono, Ph. D, managed to get achievement as “Best Paper Presenter” in The 3rd International Conference on Law and Governance in a Global Contex (iClave) 2019. The conference was held by FH University of Indonesia (UI) from Wednesday to Thursday (October 30-31,2019) in Solo.
The paper written by Iman Prihandono, Ph. D with Jasmine Amelia Ulfah, S.H. and Dewi Santoso Yuniarti, S.H. was titled ” Buyer’s Role in Improving BHR Practices in the Indonesian Mineral Mining Industry “.
Interviewed by UNAIR News on Friday, November 1, 2019, Iman revealed the background for the paper. According to him, the paper was inspired by the development of the digital industry.
“The development of the digital industry makes the need for electronic devices higher, both for communication and other works,” he said.
The increasing demand for this gadget, he continued, makes the need for raw materials higher. Today, of course, we are very familiar with mobile phones, laptops and tablets. But maybe not all are aware that these devices contain minerals.
“One of them is lead. This product is needed to connect electronic circuits through soldering, “he added.
Since United Nations Guiding Principles (UNGPs) on Business and Human Rights were approved by the United Nations General Assembly in 2011, all corporations have been encouraged to respect Human Rights (HAM). The principles in these UNGPs require corporations to ensure their business respects human rights, including in the supply-chain network.
Iman emphasized that buyers such as Apple, Samsung and Intel must be held accountable. They must ensure that the lead mining process is good or not.
“The indicators include preventing the destruction of the environment, paying attention to work safety and giving access of local communities to make a living,” he explained.
There are several international instruments that ensure companies to conduct due diligence. Due diligence or investigation of company performance appraisal is conducted on suppliers of raw materials used by the company. Among these instruments are OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas and human rights standards issued by the Responsible Mining Initiative (RMI).
“However, these various instruments still have some weaknesses, such as being voluntary and difficult to verify by the public. I hope that this paper can be a lesson for global electronics producers to pay more attention to environmental, social and human rights aspects in the production process, “he stated. (*)