Navigating High-Risk Markets: A Multi-Stakeholder Approach to Heightened HRDD

For many Swiss companies sourcing from or operating in conflict-affected and high-risk areas, standard due diligence is insufficient to manage security, human rights and conflict risks. Heightened human rights due diligence (hHRDD) is essential for compliance, operational resilience, social license to operate, and above all - protecting rights holders from adverse impacts.

Multi-stakeholder approaches are a proven and effective methodology for hHRDD and strengthen the management of security, human rights, and conflict risks in supply chains:

• The OECD notes that collaborative initiatives in the minerals and garment sectors have enabled over 20'000 enterprises to better align with international standards by leveraging local civil society insights to identify systemic risks in high-risk areas.
  

• Collective action through multi-stakeholder initiatives allows companies - particularly SMEs - to pool resources and exert greater influence on suppliers and host governments than any single firm could alone, effectively turning individual compliance into industry-wide change.
  

• Through a five-year quantitative analysis of 235 global firms, UNDP and the World Benchmarking Alliance found a positive link between corporate human rights policies, diverse stakeholder engagement and operational profitability.

  
  

So how can companies get started? What are realistic multi-stakeholder approaches to hHRDD, including responsible security management? This webinar moves beyond the "what" and dives into the "how” to explore practical methodologies for implementing hHRDD and responsible security through multi-stakeholder action. The event will be co-organized by the UN Global Compact Network Switzerland and Liechtenstein, DCAF - The Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Join us to discover how engaging with industry peers, civil society, and governance actors can help you identify hidden risks and co-create creative, sustainable solutions tailored to any sector or company size.

Target audience

• Open to anyone interested

• Targeted to professionals working on human rights, supply chain, governance or other social topics