Norway

3.2. Responsible Business Conduct

Acquiring expertise for risk identification and assessment [page 33]

The 18th principle outlines procedures for risk management based on internal or external expertise and dialogue with stakeholders.

Companies in high-risk industries and companies that operate in vulnerable areas should identify and gauge the risks they run of having adverse human rights impacts. The first step is to identify actual and potential risks. Which specific human rights and individuals do they risk abusing in certain situations? Risk identification and assessment should be conducted and repeated for each new decision and each new direction, such as entry into a new market.

It may be necessary to conduct a dialogue on due diligence with stakeholders. This will give the company a better picture of which rights may be under pressure and what can be done to prevent potential misunderstandings or conflicts. Dialogue can help to clarify expectations and reduce conflict.

BOX: The rights on indigenous people [page 34]

‘Indigenous peoples have a right to be consulted on projects that will have an impact on land where they live and earn their livelihoods (for example reindeer husbandry). The most important international standards concerning indigenous rights and the right to be consulted are the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and ILO Convention No. 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries. In many countries, indigenous peoples are largely excluded from political, economic and cultural life, and indigenous groups have a lower score than other population groups on many standard-of-living indicators, for example health and education. Indigenous peoples are also particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.