About Us
What we do for you
The DCAF-ICRC partnership, established in 2012, promotes responsible business conduct in complex and conflict-affected environments. In these contexts, businesses face heightened risks of involvement in serious human rights abuses and IHL violations.
The DCAF-ICRC partnership raises awareness of these risks and promotes strategies to mitigate them. It provides a comprehensive range of resources and tools on responsible security management and human rights due diligence – a process wherein companies identify and address their adverse impacts on the rights and dignity of local populations.
Whether you work in a company, a government, a civil society organization, or a research institution, the DCAF-ICRC partnership works to support you with practical tools:
- The Security & Human Rights Toolkit (updated with support from the Geneva Center for Business and Human Rights), a handbook of concrete good practices and tools which helps companies address security and human rights challenges related to their operations in complex environments.
- The Security & Human Rights Knowledge Hub, a web platform compiling guidance and tools on business, security, and human rights.
- The innovative and practical case studies on the management of security and human rights challenges.
- The DCAF-ICRC newsletter, which provides the latest updates on activities and events.
The partnership has also developed a collaboration with the China Chamber of Commerce of Metals Minerals & Chemicals Importers and Exporters (CCCMC) and Renmin University of China to develop training modules on responsible security management for Chinese businesses operating in complex foreign environments.
The DCAF-ICRC partnership aims to foster a multistakeholder approach to improve the coherence and effectiveness of development projects in business and security. It also endeavors to link various actors and initiatives with the view of increasing leverage through collective action.
To accomplish this, the DCAF-ICRC partnership engages with diverse international standards, organisations and multistakeholder initiatives including:
- the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs),
- the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC),
- the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) responsible business conduct workstream
- the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (VPs)
- the Montreux Document Forum and
- the International Code of Conduct Association (ICoCA).
In 2016, DCAF created the Security and Human Rights Implementation Mechanism (SHRIM) to support in-country implementation of the international norms and good practices promoted by the DCAF-ICRC partnership. The SHRIM is a multi-donor fund that supports targeted, cost-effective project interventions led by national partners in fragile contexts. The ICRC is an observer to the SHRIM.
About the Partnership
The Security and Human Rights Knowledge Hub is a joint initiative of DCAF and the ICRC to create a practical handbook that brings together all relevant resources and good practices related to human rights-compliant security practices.
The Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance works globally to promote good security sector governance through security sector reform. DCAF’s Business and Security Division works with companies, governments and communities to promote security, sustainable development and respect for human rights.
Contact: bsdivision@dcaf.ch
The Peace and Human Rights Division of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs has generously supported the DCAF-ICRC partnership since its inception. In particular, Switzerland has supported the development and updating of the Toolkit.
