This paper examines how Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) in the workplace, supply chains and local communities need to be ensured by private sector through responsible business conduct in a situation of global emergencies and recovery. The coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic and the full-scale Russia aggression against Ukraine created momentum when public and private companies operating in Ukraine were forced to balance conflicting needs and expectations of different social groups by rebuilding business processes in a highly challenging and fast changing context. Limited capacities and funds are among the most popular arguments used to postpone implementation of the Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) and to shrink corporate support of employees, suppliers and community members, which puts the most vulnerable groups at risk. Armed conflicts, pandemics and disasters affect women with children the most, and businesses need to identify, assess and mitigate their specific human rights risks in any specific operating context to ensure social justice and decent work. GEWE plays a significant role in preventing crises, enabling a gender-responsive recovery and building resilience for sustainable growth. This paper considers the ways in which GEWE is compatible with the Business and Human rights (BHR) framework and, based on the example of Ukraine, identifies how the GEWE instruments should be incorporated into corporate policies, practices and procedures aimed to ensure that the company is not involved in human rights abuses and is contributing to gender-responsive recovery to build the sustainable and inclusive future.