Business and Human Rights National Action Plan for the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles.

This National Action Plan is intended to enable the business sector to follow the UN Guiding Principles on the establishment of partnerships and cooperation between international organizations, individual countries, civil society, and business enterprises, and it outlines specific measures to achieve this aim. The UN Guiding Principles are intended to promote more sustainable, socially beneicial economic development through the promotion of human rights which is directly and indirectly linked with environmental protection, climate and anti-corruption efforts. Under the UN Guiding Principles, business enterprises have an independent responsibility to respect human rights by developing a public strategy or policy, exercising due diligence and helping to ensure a consultation and remediation process for individuals and communities afected by their activities. The Norwegian Government wishes to provide strong support, based on national values, to Norwegian companies abroad and it expects business enterprises to (i) comply with the legislation in the country where it operates; (ii) familiarise themselves with the UN Guiding Principles and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises; (iii) follow the Guiding Principles or the OECD guidelines, where applicable, when developing strategies for responsible business conduct; (iv) exercise due diligence and assess the human rights-related risks in the context of their operations; (v) follow the “comply or explain” principle and the materiality principle. The Government will maintain its efforts to integrate human rights concerns into public procurement processes.