THE RULE OF BUSINESS ACTORS IN CONFLICT & PEACE
Preventing conflict and promoting peace through responsible business conduct
Responsible business conduct is key to peacebuilding. Yet despite its relevance to climate negotiations, human rights, and political decision-making, the role of business in fostering peace receives little attention — a gap Swedwatch’s work seeks to bridge.
Understanding the interconnections between environmental issues, conflict dynamics, and business and human rights is more urgent than ever. Global conflict is at a record high, involving both state and non-state actors. In 2023, the world saw more active conflicts than at any time since the end of World War II.
Global threats and conflict landscapes have evolved due to shifting geopolitical power dynamics, climate change and technological advancements. Many of these issues have an environmental and a business and human rights dimension – whether in terms of exploitation of natural resources, the strive for access to critical minerals and resources, or the development of AI and technology.
Responsible business practices can help build and sustain peace by supporting dialogue, cooperation, and economic development. They can also contribute to recovery efforts and sustainable livelihoods in high-risk, conflict-affected and post-conflict contexts. But without conflict-sensitive human rights due diligence, business activities risk deepening social tensions, weakening community resilience, and fueling further violence.
Swedwatch’s work with business and peace
Swedwatch applies an environmental peacebuilding approach — tackling the underlying causes of conflicts linked to natural resources — in its work on business, conflict, and peace. Through research, multistakeholder dialogue, outreach, and capacity-building initiatives, we highlight how challenges such as competition over water, land, and minerals can fuel conflict—and how responsible business conduct can help prevent it.
Explore snapshots of our work below.
How are business actors, natural resources and conflict connected?
Business actors can have both positive and negative impacts on conflict dynamics and peacebuilding efforts. Short-term economic interests and resource exploitation — especially when worsened by climate change — can act as conflict multipliers. At the same time, conflict itself often harms the environment, limits access to natural resources, and hinders sustainable recovery. On the other hand, responsible business practices and sustainable resource management—such as land and water use—can instead support development and access to livelihoods, infrastructure, and skills training.
In Swedwatch's work, the focus is on the role of business actors, state actors and investors in preventing and addressing corporate harm and enhancing peace through responsible business conduct.
What is heightened human rights due diligence (hHRDD) and why is this relevant in conflict-affected contexts?
In conflict-affected contexts, the risks of grave human rights abuses are heightened, and at the same time human rights abuses by companies also risks exacerbating social tensions and conflict. Heightened human rights due diligence (hHRDD), is human rights due diligence that aims to identify potential and actual impacts on human rights as well as on conflict.
Is hHRDD an issue that only concerns large businesses with complex supply chains and in conflicts?
No, conflict risks and hHRDD is built on the same risk-based analysis as the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. It is built on the principle of risk and proportionality: the higher the risk, the more complex the processes. The risks and adverse impacts can occur in different stages of a companies’ supply chain. Focusing on large companies overlooks the impacts of smaller actors.
Snapshots of our work
Facilitating business and human rights
Ukraine programs
With support from the Swedish Institute, Swedwatch is leading two projects: one focused on promoting responsible business conduct in Ukraine, and another aimed at strengthening corporate responsibility collaboration across the Eastern Partnership region.
Corporate accountability for war crimes
Live-streamed seminar
At the UN Forum on Business & Human Rights in Geneva, a high-level panel explores the growing effort to hold companies criminally accountable for serious human rights abuses, including the landmark war crimes trial against former Lundin executives.