Be Human Rights Confident

If you are in the U.S., an American or following U.S. politics ????, I know this week has been tough for you. For many around you. And for me too.

It feels as though the rug has been pulled out from under us. ?? We were looking ahead to green ??—brighter, transformational progress—but now it feels like we’re staring at grey skies ?? instead. Like the very foundations beneath us are beginning to crumble.

These emotions—frustration, sadness, anger—are real. They are valid. ? And they need to be acknowledged. This is not a moment to brush them aside but to create space to feel them, process them and share them.

I find myself drawn back to the words of Viktor Frankl ??, who endured unimaginable hardships as a Holocaust survivor before becoming a renowned psychiatrist. His wisdom is particularly relevant in moments like this.

"What is to give light must endure burning." ????

The path we are on—to create a world of green ????, sustainable, and people-centered transformation—is not easy. But it is inevitable. We are too far along. The science is too clear. And we are too committed to turn back.

This vision will be realized, but not without setbacks, not without challenges, and not without moments when it feels like we’re sinking ??, before we can rise even higher than before. ?? And right now, this is one of those moments.

Frankl also reminds us:

"Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. … Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way."

These words came to mind when I saw the cheers that accompanied the signing of those Executive Orders ????, knowing the immense impact they would have. But here’s the truth: We choose our response. ? And we have chosen that this moment will not weaken us but strengthen our resolve. ??? We have chosen to move forward with even greater determination, knowing that our work is too vital to falter.

Frankl also said:

"Those who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how.'"

And we know our why. We are here because we believe in a better world ??—one that places the planet and people front and centre ??. That belief drives us, even when the road is difficult.

So, as we navigate this moment, let’s remember to take care of ourselves and each other. ?? Here are a few ways to keep going when the weight of setbacks feels heavy:

?? Acknowledge Your Emotions: It’s okay to feel upset, disheartened or angry. Give yourself permission to process those feelings.

?? Practice Self-Compassion: Be gentle with yourself. This is hard work, and you’re doing the best you can.

?? Focus on What You Can Influence: We can’t change everything, but we can take meaningful actions where we have, or where we can build, influence.

?? Practice Gratitude: Look for the moments of light, even in the grey. Celebrate the wins and progress we’ve made.

?? Seek Connection: Lean on your community, friends, and colleagues. We’re in this together.

?? Focus on Moments of Joy: Find solace in whatever brings you immense joy—for me it’s singing ??, spending time in nature ??, and going to the theatre ??—amongst others.

?? Ask for Help: If the load feels too heavy, don’t hesitate to seek support. We’re not meant to carry this alone.

?? Embrace Challenges: Remember that obstacles, as painful as they are, also create opportunities for growth and resilience.

This setback does not define us. What defines us is our ability to rise, to adapt, and to keep moving forward toward the world we believe in. ?? Together, we will endure the burning ?? because we know the light ?? it will bring is worth it.

?? Anna

PS: Yes, I even keep this book by the side of my desk ??

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The World Economic Forum (WEF), in collaboration with McKinsey & Company, released Resilience Pulse Check: Harnessing Collaboration to Navigate a Volatile World (January 2025). The report emerges from the work of the Resilience Consortium and is based on a survey of more than 250 leaders from the private sector, assessing companies’ resilience preparedness and gaps in readiness.

Human Level’s Take:

• On the heels of the World Economic Forum in Davos and the publication of the annual WEF Global Risks Report (read Human Level’s summary of the report here), company resilience to global challenges is rising to the top of the conversation.
• WEF and McKinsey find that many companies are not prepared to take on the complex and interconnected challenges facing the world today, such as geopolitical tension and armed conflict, social and human rights risks, climate and environmental impacts, technological disruption and beyond. What’s more, few companies are taking a long-term approach to tackling these issues, with most companies focusing only on immediate risks and changes.
• Companies are especially overlooking long-term resilience to societal and environmental risks, despite these issues sitting among top risks identified by leaders over the long term.
• The report suggests that building capacity for forward-thinking scenario planning and increasing diverse perspectives in company decision-making is a key approach. This should be fostered at every level of the business, from boards to executives to functional teams and individuals. It also highlights the important role for stakeholders outside the company, including the public sector and international organisations, to foster collective action on complex challenges.
• From our view, the report’s findings echo key considerations for companies digging deeper on complex human rights and environmental challenges — and present opportunities to address business resilience and risks to people and planet at the same time. For one, embedding knowledge of human rights and environmental topics throughout the business, starting with leadership, can build capacity to monitor and address risks holistically. In addition, gathering perspectives from key stakeholders — including rights holders — can be an essential way to learn about the nuances of macro-level challenges on the ground. And, collective action with different partners is essential to tackle cumulative and systemic issues.

Read More

The International Labour Organization (ILO) published its flagship report on World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2025 (January 2025). The report explores trends in the global economy, including its implications for people, especially workers.

Human Level’s Take:

• Global labour markets are grappling with significant challenges, even as the unemployment rate holds steady at 5% in 2024.
• These include slowing economic and job growth, high inflation eroding real wages, widespread informal employment, working poverty, and persistent gender gaps in labour force participation.
• Vulnerable groups, including young people, women, and informal workers, are hit hardest. Youth unemployment remains high at 12.6%, and significant gender gaps persist, driven by structural barriers like gender stereotypes, discrimination, and gender-based violence and harassment. In low-income countries, millions of informal workers face working poverty, with 240 million workers struggling to make ends meet. Over 50% of the global workforce also lacks basic protections like social security, legal safeguards, and workplace safety.
• The green transition and artificial intelligence (AI) are reshaping industries, bringing both challenges and opportunities. Renewable energy jobs have surged to 16.2 million, driven by investments in solar and hydrogen power. AI is transforming sectors, creating new roles and reshaping existing work. However, renewable energy jobs are concentrated, with nearly half in China. Manufacturers face complex tech demands with electric vehicle production, requiring workers to develop advanced skills. Meanwhile, AI’s rise poses challenges like skills gaps, unequal access to technology, and job location disparities, making it harder for workers to shift between sectors.
• So what can companies do? Companies can: 1) invest in skills development and education to equip workers with the expertise needed to adapt to evolving technologies, such as AI and green energy; 2) ensure safe working conditions and fair wages for workers, along with benefits like healthcare and paid leave, to reduce inequality; and 3) work with policymakers to develop inclusive industrial policies that create jobs and address inequality.

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Human Rights Watch (HRW) released the 35th edition of its 2025 World Report highlighting the challenges to human rights worldwide throughout 2024 and across over 100 countries. The report draws attention to the rise of autocratic rule, ongoing violations of humanitarian law, and the human toll of major global conflicts but also offers up possible opportunities including the rise in collective accountability.

Human Level’s Take:

• The Human Rights Watch World Report 2025 highlights 2024 as a year marked by the continued erosion of democratic institutions worldwide, with rampant violations of humanitarian law and freedom of expression, fuelled by escalating global conflicts. These crises have not only caused a devastating human toll but also triggered mass migration, intensifying anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies in many regions.
• However, in the face of this repression, there was a notable rise in civilian movements and collective action, with people organising across borders to demand accountability and human rights reforms. This cross-regional solidarity demonstrates that while authoritarian forces may tighten their grip, the collective power of civilians remains a crucial force for change, offering hope in an increasingly fractured world.
• In the face of backsliding democracies and attacks on human rights, businesses play an important role in urging governments to protect human rights. They can actively advocate to hold their governments accountable for failing to meet their legal obligations and stand firm against efforts to undermine international human rights laws.
• For companies themselves, challenges of this scale require mainstreaming human rights due diligence throughout the business and decision-making. In particular, stronger governance and policies, in addition to proactive assessment and action responding to human rights risks, are critical. Businesses can also take stronger action in protecting vulnerable groups within their own operations and supply chains in the face of displacement caused by growing conflict combined with the growing anti-immigrant rhetoric.
• To amplify their impact, companies can collaborate with other businesses, as well as civil society, and international organisations. By organising through collective action they can push back on violations and ensure governments uphold their human rights responsibilities.

Read More

New resource: SOMO developed the CSDDD Datahub, a searchable list of around 7,000 companies and 4,300 corporate groups meeting the thresholds for the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. The database includes both EU and non-EU companies and is searchable by company name, sector and country. SOMO notes that the database should not be considered exhaustive as it depends on external data sources; it will continue to be updated. The data is primarily intended to help communities, workers, trade unions and other stakeholders to map which companies fall within the scope of the law, but it could also produce insights relevant for others.

How you can use this: Many companies are already in the know when it comes to checking whether they are within the scope of the CSDDD, but this tool could also be helpful as a resource to see the broader landscape of companies captured by the regulation. For example, you could check whether business partners are covered and use this as an opportunity to open a conversation to learn how they are tackling human rights and environmental due diligence. Or, you could check to see which peers are in scope and start a dialogue one-on-one or through a multi stakeholder platform to share learnings and troubleshoot challenges, in order to strengthen due diligence practices.

New initiative: The World Economic Forum (WEF), along with partners across sectors, launched the Global Data Partnership Against Forced Labour. The initiative was designed to address the challenge of fragmented data on forced labour that is collected by civil society, the public sector and the private sector. It will leverage data and draw insights to identify new opportunities and pathways to collectively act on forced labour.

How you can use this: While the partnership itself is invitation-only (you can register interest on its website), it offers a Knowledge Hub with insights and concrete actions on tackling forced labour at the systems level. You could use the Knowledge Hub to build a basic understanding of the systemic factors driving forced labour and as inspiration for action to address this issue in your own value chain.

New guidance: The World Economic Forum (WEF) together with Oliver Wyman released a series of reports on Nature Positive Transitions. The reports are grounded in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and delve into the transformative pathways needed to stop and reverse nature loss by 2030. There are eight sector-specific reports that cover relevant material impacts on nature and share actionable recommendations for business to act on biodiversity and climate change. Sectors covered include: Automotive, Automotive sector deep-dive on China, Cement and Concrete, Chemical, Household and Personal Care Products, Mining and Metals, Offshore Wind, and Ports.

How you can use this: The report series offers insights for companies within the target sectors and for companies sourcing from these sectors — so, most companies! The reports focus on a few key transformation strategies, including enhancing circularity, improving water stewardship, advancing cross-sector collaboration and supporting nature conservation and restoration. The recommendations offer inspiration to companies to integrate biodiversity and nature considerations into their practices. They also suggest opportunities for collective action that could help jumpstart more partnerships and engagement between key players in each sector as well as their broader business partner and stakeholder base.

Relevant resource: The UN Development Programme (UNDP) produced a Climate Dictionary to help break down complex scientific terms about climate change for a broader audience. It aims to foster action, ownership and collective responsibility towards tackling climate change. The guide was initially published in 2023, but it has renewed relevance as companies delve deeper into the details of their response to the rapidly intensifying climate crisis and its impacts on people and business.

How you can use this: The dictionary is a good starting place to get up to speed on climate basics. It could be leveraged broadly, including as a part of internal company trainings for leaders and staff on corporate climate priorities and actions, or as part of targeted engagement with diverse teams beyond Sustainability or Environment that have a role in tackling climate change. It also breaks down a few key concepts linking human rights and climate change, including Indigenous knowledge and just transition.

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