78 Q 83. How should an enterprise deal with conflicting requirements? In some operating contexts, domestic laws, regulations or customs may require (as against merely allowing for) enterprises to act in ways that are in conflict with their responsibility to respect internationally recognized human rights. Such requirements could for example be in relation to women’s rights, labour rights or the right to privacy. This type of situation presents enterprises with a dilemma when having both to comply with all applicable laws and also to meet the responsibility to respect human rights in all contexts. An enterprise’s human rights due diligence process should reveal where it may be faced with this kind of dilemma and what measures could prevent or mitigate the risk. If there is a direct conflict of requirements, the challenge is to find ways of honouring the principles of internationally recognized rights. As with other issues, there is no blueprint for how to respond. However, the more an enterprise has embedded respect for human rights into its values and the more it has prepared its personnel for ethical dilemmas, through training, scenarios, lessons learned, decision trees and similar processes, the more likely it will be able to identify appropriate and timely responses. Understanding the exact nature, scope and implications of the conflicting requirements is an important first step in identifying ways of addressing the dilemma. It may be that local requirements are more ambiguous than first thought or that the conflict is in some other way overstated. Recognizing this may provide opportunities for mitigating the conflict. It may be possible to seek clarification from the Government or local authorities about the scope of the conflicting requirement and even to challenge it. This may both help reduce risks to people and to the company, as well as signal to stakeholders the commitment of the enterprise to respect human rights. It may also be possible that others within the industry or country have approaches that mitigate the harm to human rights which can be replicated. For example, some enterprises operating in countries where freedom of association is restricted have established parallel processes to engage with workers. If an enterprise cannot find immediate or obvious solutions, it will be well advised to engage with relevant expert stakeholders—including, where possible, any groups or individuals whose rights may be affected by the