On 24 November 2025, our Executive Director and Secretary General, Iris Van der Veken, participated in a panel discussion at the United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva, titled “Putting People First: Building Competitive, Resilient Business through Human Rights Due Diligence.”
The discussion was moderated by Mark Hodge (Shift Project) and brought together insightful contributions from several distinguished speakers:
- Mikael Anzén (Ambassador for Sustainable Business & Innovation, Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs), who highlighted how state agencies are channeling sustainability and due diligence efforts, supporting companies in implementing human rights due diligence (HRDD), and observing a positive shift in industry practice;
- Leigh Anne DeWine (Amazon), who presented Amazon’s AI-enabled due diligence model, combining audits and on-the-ground engagement while maintaining a “human in the loop” approach;
- Katarina Nedeljković (Council of Europe), who underscored the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration and the Council of Europe’s role in protecting human rights, upholding the rule of law, and preserving democracy;
- Rapatsa Trirath (Oxfam), who emphasized the need for rights-holder-led processes, long-term trust-building, and shared responsibility across complex supply chains to ensure meaningful and sustainable change.
During the session, Iris presented how the Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030 is actively contributing to this agenda. What have we achieved till date:
- WJI 2030 launched the pilot initiative “Preparing for CSDDD: A Deep Dive on Key Topics,” engaging companies and leading experts to explore double materiality assessments, supplier engagement, and human rights and environmental due diligence. This work underscores the importance of collaborative action in translating policy into practice.
- WJI 2030’s ongoing workstreams continue to support companies in operationalizing HRDD through:
- The Global Supply Chain Risk Map, which provides an outside-in perspective on country and commodity risk hotspots across the watch and jewellery value chain, including deep dives into gold, diamonds, gemstones, and leather;
- The Impact Assessment, which offers an inside-out perspective, supporting companies in prioritizing sustainability impacts, engaging stakeholders, and conducting double materiality assessments aligned with GRI, CSRD, and CSDDD.
The Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030 extends its appreciation to Christophe Payot (Ambassador of Belgium to the United Nations in Geneva) and his team for the organisation of this important session.
