In conflict-affected contexts, businesses face acute risks of involvement or complicity in human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law.
Many such impacts are unintended, as businesses inadvertently contribute to grievances and drivers of conflict. As a result, conflict-sensitive due diligence is critically important.
Additionally, risks around use of force, security staff involvement in hostilities, and company-community conflict are heightened in conflict-affected contexts where tensions are already high. And the consequences of abuses and incidents can be even more severe.
In this blog post published by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, the ICRC explains why due diligence laws should put conflict and security at the fore. The post emphasises the importance of integrating a conflict analysis into due diligence mechanisms.