Conflict Smart

About

Clearer decisions where context is hardest.

Conflict Smart is built for organisations operating where political, security, and social dynamics shape every decision. We turn conflict sensitivity from a specialist discipline into an everyday practice.

Our story

Why Conflict Smart exists.

Companies, investors, and agencies operating in fragile regions face a persistent gap: world-class frameworks for conflict sensitivity exist, but they rarely reach the people making day-to-day operational calls.

Conflict Smart was founded by practitioners with decades of experience in conflict analysis, human rights due diligence, and responsible business. We built the platform we wished we had — one that makes rigorous analysis fast, structured, and shareable.

We are part of Ithaca Impact, a consultancy focused on responsible operations in high-risk environments. The platform reflects the questions our team has been asked hundreds of times, distilled into a workflow any team can use.

How we work

Principles that shape the platform.

Context first

Every recommendation starts from a rigorous read of the local political, social, and economic dynamics — not a template.

Do no harm

We help teams anticipate how their presence, decisions, and partnerships interact with existing tensions and power dynamics.

Stakeholder inclusion

Meaningful engagement with communities, workers, and rights holders is treated as core to good analysis, not an add-on.

Evidence-based

Guidance is grounded in OECD, UNGPs, IFC Performance Standards, and international humanitarian law.

Practical integration

Analysis is only useful if teams can act on it. Our outputs are designed to plug into existing risk, ESG, and operations workflows.

Confidential by design

Sensitive information stays protected. We work with your legal, security, and compliance requirements from day one.

Grounded in standards

Aligned with the frameworks your stakeholders expect.

Our methodology draws on the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, IFC Performance Standards, and international humanitarian law.

That means the analysis and outputs Conflict Smart produces speak the language of your board, your lenders, your ESG reviewers, and the communities you work alongside.

Work with us

Bring conflict sensitivity into your next decision.

Talk to our team about how Conflict Smart fits into your operations, risk process, or portfolio review.

Book a demo