Addressing Salient Human Rights Risks in the GCC in Times of Conflict: Business Actions and Pathways to Recovery

As conflict escalates in Iran and across parts of West Asia, this workshop will explore what the evolving situation means for businesses operating in or connected to the region. While some operations may appear stable, this can mask a more fragile reality, with uneven impacts on workers, communities, supply chains, and business continuity, often placing the greatest strain on those with the least protection.

This session is open to all AIM-Progress Working Group members, and will address grievance mechanisms, living wage, and forced labour risks in a coherent way and to help companies move beyond viewing the situation as short-term disruption and instead assess how conflict may deepen existing vulnerabilities, create new risks, and amplify the human impact of business decisions. It will provide a practical lens on living wage and income security, highlighting how, in times of crisis, workers – particularly migrant workers – are often the first to absorb economic shocks through reduced wages, delayed payments, or increased debt. Participants will reflect on whether current responses are effectively protecting worker welfare or unintentionally shifting the burden onto those least able to bear it. In addition, the workshop will explore heightened forced labour risks, examining how indicators such as wage withholding, movement restrictions, recruitment-related debt, and barriers to raising concerns may intensify or become harder to detect in unstable contexts. The session will support participants in testing whether their monitoring and response systems remain fit for purpose.

 More broadly, the workshop connects immediate crisis response with longer-term human rights priorities, supporting companies in translating commitments into practical action – with a focus on protecting the most vulnerable workers across their operations and value chains. This session also presents an opportunity to approach these thematics in a more integrated and connected way, rather than addressing them in silos.

Speaker: Krystel Bassil, Founder & Senior Business & Human Rights Consultant, BHR MENA

Date: 14 April 14.30CET/15:30 Beirut/ 17:30 in GCC countries (e.g. UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman – GST/AST)

Event details