Many Swiss companies operate in conflict-affected or otherwise challenging contexts. Often, they depend on raw materials or products from such areas. These contexts amplify human rights risks and make standard due diligence insufficient, as the current escalation of violence across the MENA region shows, where millions of migrant workers have suddenly been left stranded and exposed to severe risks. Many companies are now confronted with the question how they should react to the new geopolitical environments and how they can safeguard the rights of their own workers and those in their value chain.

Heightened human rights due diligence (hHRDD) helps companies act responsibly in such situations and navigate uncertainty with clarity and preparedness. focusright’s latest blog post takes a closer look at:

• What is this about? How rapidly changing conflict dynamics, weak governance or restricted civic space elevate human rights risks and require an adapted due diligence approach.
• Why does it matter? Why operating in challenging contexts has strategic, operational and regulatory implications, and why expectations towards companies increase rather than decrease in such settings.
• What is often overlooked? Common blind spots such as superficial context analysis, limited access to reliable information, insufficient preparedness and underestimating a company’s influence on local dynamics.
• What is focusright’s take? How companies can operationalise hHRDD through robust context analysis, risk‑aware stakeholder engagement, leverage strategies and scenario‑based preparedness.