Background

What is the community of practice? 

The Business and Conflict Community of Practice is a structured group of professionals working across different organizations with a common interest in exchanging and connecting on topics related to responsible business conduct in conflict-affected contexts and complex environments. 

The community builds on previous initiatives and is currently managed by the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform. Meetings are primarily held online.
 

What is the aim of the community? 

The vision for the community is to consolidate and mainstream work on business operations in conflict-affected areas within broader debates on business and human rights. In this endeavor, the objective of the community is to create a safer space for more frequent discussion, better information exchange, and more intentional relationships among professionals working at the intersection of business, human rights, and conflict.

The community exists for the community members themselves and is meant to be animated and structured around their needs. Current activities of the community of practice include (online) facilitated workshops, topical briefings, information exchange, and may expand into collaborative products.
 

Who can participate in the community?

The community of practice membership comprises international organizations, non-governmental organizations, academia, consulting groups, and more. It stretches across 6 continents and examines a variety of subtopics within the domain of business and human rights in conflict. At this time, membership is not extended to business actors, though activities initiated by the community will seek to include and engage with business actors in different ways. 

By participating in the community, participants can expect to meet other professionals working on similar topics, build opportunities for collaboration, receive and provide regular information updates on business and conflict, and deepen their understanding on these issues. 

Interested participants can reach out to the community manager (contact information listed below) and can expect to reply to a short screening question.