Norway

3.1 Responsibility to respect human rights

Companies’ responsibility to respect human rights [page 31]

Internationally recognised human rights’ are those set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948, the two 1966 International Covenants, on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and on Political and Civil Rights, and the ILO core conventions. In some cases other standards may also be applicable, such as the rights of women, indigenous peoples, national, ethnic or linguistic minorities, children, people with disabilities, or foreign workers and their families. In cases of armed conflict companies should respect the standards laid down in international humanitarian law.

BOX: The ILO Core Conventions

The eight ILO core conventions provides a globally recognised framework for what constitutes a decent working life. The conventions are of key importance for the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the UN Global Compact and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. They include the following areas: The abolition of child labour (Convention No. 138 on the Minimum Age for Admission to Employment and Work, and Convention No.182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour). Freedom of association (Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise, and Convention No. 98 on the Application of the Principles of the Right to Organise and to Bargain Collectively). The elimination of discrimination (Convention No. 100 on Equal Remuneration for Men and Women Workers for Work of Equal Value, and Convention No. 111 on Discrimination in Respect of Employment and Occupation). The elimination of forced or compulsory labour (Convention No. 29 on Forced Labour, and Convention No. 105 on the Abolition of Forced Labour).