Overview and introduction
The guide outlines rising expectations for companies in conflict-affected and high-risk areas (CAHRAs), emphasising responsibility to avoid exacerbating conflict and human rights abuses. It introduces heightened human rights due diligence (hHRDD) as a structured process to assess, prevent, mitigate and remedy impacts on human rights and conflict.

Heightened human rights due diligence
hHRDD is defined as assessing and addressing a company’s actual and potential impacts on human rights and conflict. It extends standard due diligence by incorporating conflict sensitivity, recognising that business activities may unintentionally contribute to instability and require deeper, context-specific analysis.

Overview of the training guide
The guide provides practical instruction on what hHRDD is, when it is required and how to implement it. It builds on the UN Guiding Principles and UNWG/UNDP guidance, focusing on elements specific to conflict contexts.

Module 1: Refresher on business and human rights
This module revisits corporate responsibilities to prevent, mitigate and remedy adverse human rights impacts, including across value chains, with heightened expectations in high-risk environments.

Module 2: What is “Heightened human rights due diligence”?
hHRDD is grounded in proportionality, requiring more extensive due diligence where risks are severe. It is supported by international frameworks and emerging regulations such as EU due diligence rules.

Module 3: The business case for HHRDD
The guide highlights financial, legal and reputational risks of inadequate due diligence, including operational disruption and liability exposure. Effective hHRDD strengthens risk management and supports regulatory compliance.

Module 4: When should companies perform HHRDD?
hHRDD applies in conflict, post-conflict and high-risk contexts. Companies should identify indicators such as weak governance, violence or rights abuses, and apply hHRDD where risks are uncertain or evolving.

Module 5: Introduction to the HHRDD process
The process includes analysing conflict, identifying impacts, prioritising risks, developing responses, validating with stakeholders, implementing actions, communicating and repeating the cycle as an ongoing activity.

Module 6: Understanding the conflict
Companies must conduct conflict analysis to identify drivers, actors and escalation risks, ensuring informed decision-making and use of appropriate expertise.

Module 7: Understanding the impacts of the operation on the conflict
The guide requires assessment of direct and indirect impacts, including those through partners. Impacts should be prioritised based on severity, particularly where conflict and human rights risks intersect.

Module 8: Developing and implementing mitigation approaches
Companies should respond based on whether they cause, contribute to or are linked to impacts. Actions include updating policies, governance, contracts, training and grievance mechanisms, with stakeholder validation.

Module 9: Disclosure and staying up-to-date
The guide emphasises careful external communication and continuous monitoring. Companies should adapt responses as conditions change and consider responsible exit where impacts cannot be mitigated.

Resource pack
The resource pack provides tools for conflict analysis, stakeholder engagement, grievance mechanisms, governance and responsible exit, supporting practical implementation.

Case study pack
Case studies across sectors and regions illustrate application of hHRDD, including conflict analysis, stakeholder engagement and exit decisions, highlighting real-world trade-offs and operational challenges.