[21-22 April 2026]

The Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative (PSCI) hosted a spring meeting in Basel around the theme of transformational impact. Over 80 members covering E&S, Sustainability and Human Rights participants from the healthcare sector gathered at Roche’s offices to learn, share, and collaborate on how to build responsible supply chains. TrustWorks CEO and founder, Josie Lianna Kaye, was invited to share key insights from our work supporting companies to operate responsibly in conflict-affected and high-risk areas (CAHRAs).

Josie was part of the session entitled, ‘Respecting Human Rights: From commitment to action, moderated by Peter Nestor, PSCI Vice Chair and Novartis Global Head of Human Rights. The session began with presentations by esteemed colleagues, Tanya Murphy, PSCI Human Rights Lead and AstraZeneca Associate Director Compliance & Peter Hall, Senior Manager Responsible Sourcing Human Rights, Johnson & Johnson, who provided an overview of the priorities of the PSCI Human Rights Topic Team.

Josie was then interviewed by Peter Nestor on key issues related to the responsible business in conflict agenda, on a wide range of critical questions, including but not limited to:

• how CAHRAs are defined and what the implications are for companies
• key differences between HRDD and heightened HRDD
• relevant international humanitarian law considerations in conflict-affected areas
• specific risks for healthcare and pharmaceutical companies in CAHRAs
• whether positive impacts off-set negative ones; and,
• practical steps that companies embarking on this journey can take.

One key message that arose from the discussion was the need for heightened human rights due diligence and IHL-informed analysis to be country- rather than desk-based activities to the extent possible; while human rights are universal, conflict risks are contextual: the actors and factors driving conflict are going to vary dramatically from one country, one sub-region, and even from one village to another. Indeed, stakeholder engagement is central to conflict-specific due diligence and engaging with stakeholders in CAHRAs requires a high level of sensitivity to conflict dynamics.

We would like to sincerely thank the PSCI team for inviting us to Basel for a day full of engaging and timely discussions.

About the organiser: The Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative (PSCI) is a group of pharmaceutical and healthcare companies who share a vision of excellence in safety, environmental, and social outcomes in the communities where they buy. By sharing knowledge and expertise, PSCI members believe they can work as one voice to drive complex, global change more effectively than any one organisation alone. They have joined forces to instil and drive responsible value chain management and better business conditions across the industry.