Context first
Responsible action in conflict-affected environments starts with understanding the concrete context: actors, dynamics, constraints, and risks on the ground.
About
We help organizations in conflict-affected and high-risk contexts build practical, responsible, and resilient systems for human rights due diligence and effective action.
Our work is guided by the conviction that organizations can act responsibly even in highly complex environments when decisions are grounded in context, evidence, and workable systems.
Approach
What drives us
Systems over paperwork
Policies only matter when they shape decisions and practice. We focus on systems that remain usable under pressure.
Implementation with accountability
We help organizations turn obligations and strategies into practical action that can be explained, reviewed, and improved.
Impact logic
Our theory of change
01
Analyze risks, actors, and operating realities before designing solutions.
02
Create lean structures that support decisions, documentation, and accountability.
03
Translate strategies and obligations into concrete practice.
Result
Organizations can act responsibly and effectively, even in complex and volatile contexts.
How we work
Our work is based on four methodological principles. They shape how we analyze complex situations, structure decisions, and develop durable solutions.
01
Context-sensitive
We adapt methods to the realities of each operating environment instead of applying generic templates.
02
Evidence-based
Recommendations are grounded in available information, field insight, and realistic assessment of uncertainty.
03
Practical
Outputs are designed for use by teams, managers, donors, auditors, and partners.
04
Accountable
We make responsibilities, assumptions, and decision pathways explicit.
Our collaboration does not follow a fixed template. Depending on your starting point, we build on existing analyses, move directly into substantive work, or support specific topic areas.
Dr. Silja Aebersold
Founder & Principal Advisor
Dr. Silja Aebersold is a Swiss lawyer and advisor specializing in conflict and high-risk areas. For more than a decade, she has worked with local and international civil society organizations, donors, and businesses across the Middle East, Latin America, Europe, and the United States on issues related to human rights, organizational development, accountability, safeguarding, conflict-sensitive operations, and human rights due diligence.
She holds a Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) in International Human Rights Law from American University Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C. Her doctoral research focused on strengthening legal protection frameworks for indigenous and Afro-descendant communities in Latin America.
Throughout her career, Dr. Aebersold has advised organizations operating in complex environments on how to navigate the intersection of human rights, legal obligations, organizational realities, and conflict dynamics. Her work has included strengthening safeguarding systems, supporting organizational development and localization processes, designing accountability and documentation mechanisms, managing donor-funded programs, developing successful funding proposals, and advising companies on human rights due diligence.
Dr. Aebersold’s work is characterized by the ability to translate complex legal, regulatory, and organizational challenges into practical and context-sensitive solutions. Rather than relying on standardized approaches, she works closely with clients to understand their specific realities, capacities, and objectives and develops strategies that are both academically rigorous and operationally feasible.
Education
- Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.), American University Washington College of Law, United States (2020)
- Master of Law, University of Lucerne, Switzerland (2012)
- Bachelor of Law, University of St. Gall, Switzerland (2010)
Languages
- German (native)
- English (fluent)
- Spanish (fluent)
- French (fluent)
Publications
- Implementing Human Rights in Afro-Descendant Communities in Colombia and Nicaragua: An Analysis of Selected Human Rights Claims at the Intersection of Legal Orders, S.J.D. Dissertation (2020).
- Afro-Descendant or Black Communities in Research Handbook of Collective Rights (Jessika Eichler & Miodrag Jovanović, forthcoming).
- Afro Communities’ Struggle for Land Rights in Latin America: A New Approach to Protect their Lands in the Inter-American Human Rights System, 63 Harvard Int’l L. J. Online (2022).
- The Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Afro-Descendants in Central America in Legal Status of Indigenous Peoples in Russia and Foreign Countries (Ruslan Garipov et al., 2021) [Russian].
Where we work
We work in conflict-affected and high-risk areas globally, combining direct field expertise with an established network of local experts.
Write to us
Phone
+49 179 162 4973