Conflict-Affected and High Risk Areas

Amid a steady increase in the number and intensity of global conflicts and associated human rights violations, investors are seeking guidance on strengthening their stewardship activities related to their portfolio exposure to conflict-affected and high-risk areas (CAHRA). The expectation that both investors and companies undertake heightened human rights due diligence (hHRDD) on investments and business activities in CAHRAs to better identify and manage human rights and conflict-related risks is established in international normative frameworks, such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), and detailed in recent guidance (2022) released by the UN Development Programme in cooperation with the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights. 

In response to crises, the Investor Alliance is working with investors in collaboration with civil society experts to identify and address in a conflict-sensitive manner the human rights and humanitarian law risks associated with business activities in these environments and to ensure that portfolio companies have the policies and processes needed to address CAHRA risks in a systematic fashion across various geographies. 

To learn more about this area of work, please contact Rebecca DeWinter-Schmitt.