Norway: Norway joins France and The Netherlands as the third country with a Human Rights due diligence law

On the 10th of June, The Norwegian Act on business transparency concerning decent work and Human rights has been adopted. This Act would force thousands of the country’s major enterprises (estimated to number in excess of 8000) to reveal the steps they take to guarantee human rights compliance across their value chains. While the proposed law’s human rights due diligence provisions are consistent with global norms in other countries, the plan also takes a novel approach to openness and regulatory supervision. The Act that has been approved is the result of the efforts of a government-appointed committee that canvassed civil society, labor, and industry and produced a draft legislation in 2019. The Norwegian plan comes in response to advocacy by civil society and corporate organizations, notably Future in Our Hands, which began its campaign following the Rana Plaza catastrophe.