Almost 50 million people are living in modern slavery, 29 million are in the Asia-Pacific region.
Photo Credit: Llillian Suwanrumpha via Getty Images.
Photo Credit: Yvan Cohen via Getty Images.Who we are
The Investors Against Slavery and Trafficking Asia Pacific (IAST APAC) initiative is an investor-led, multistakeholder project. It was established in 2020 to engage with companies in the Asia-Pacific region to promote effective action in finding, fixing and preventing modern slavery in operations and supply chains. Investors can achieve greater impact working collaboratively and drawing on various sources of knowledge and expertise to assess and address modern slavery risk in operations and supply chains.
IAST APAC comprises 49 investors with AU$12 trillion in Assets Under Management (AUM), together with the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI), Walk Free and the Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking (FAST) initiative. Walk Free and FAST support IAST APAC as knowledge partners with financial sector and modern slavery subject expertise. Walk Free is the IAST APAC Secretariat. Walk Free is an international human rights group working to accelerate the end of all forms of modern slavery. FAST is a multistakeholder initiative based at United Nations University Centre for Policy Research that works to mobilise the financial sector against modern slavery and human trafficking.
29.3 million
People living in modern slavery in the Asia-Pacific region
10 million
More people in modern slavery worldwide since 2018
1 in 4
Proportion of people in modern slavery who are children
Migrant workers
Over three times as likely to be in forced labour than other adults
“AustralianSuper is proud to be a founding member of IAST APAC. This important investor-led initiative and builds on our well-established program of integrating supply chain and labour risks into our investment process and stewardship activities. Collaborating with other investors on a common goal will allow us to influence systemic changes to help mitigate modern slavery and trafficking risks in investee companies across the Asia-Pacific region.”
Andrew Gray
Director ESG and Stewardship, AustralianSuper
“The financial sector is a powerful ally in our mission to protect the most vulnerable – and ultimately to create fairer and more sustainable economies. Walk Free is proud to be working with investors to engage business to combat modern slavery in their supply chains and broader value chains. Over 60 per cent of the 40.3 million victims of modern slavery are in the Asia-Pacific region, and investors have a critical role to play to ensure investment dollars are not funding exploitation or modern slavery.”
Grace Forrest
Founding Director, Walk Free
Photo Credit: NurPhoto via Getty Images
More information
Asset owners and asset managers in the Asia-Pacific region interested in joining IAST APAC should contact the Secretariat.