NHOs approach to corporate responsibility

The Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO) - Norways leading employers organization - is committed to a constructive approach to the social and environmental challenges facing business. The role of NHO is to:

• Keep member companies informed about the national and international corporate responsibility agenda and enable them to develop adequate policies and strategies to face the issues involved.
• Work towards a well-balanced public opinion and awareness of positive business contributions to society, and a realistic conception of corporate responsibility that is compatible with a profitable and internationally competitive business and industry.
• Participate in cross-sectoral dialogue, thus contributing to forming and adjusting the claims and expectations facing business with respect to corporate responsibility.

NHO has been actively engaged since the environmental debate of the 1970s and -80s, the debate on business ethics in the early 1990s, the issue of corporate responsibility for human rights at the international level that began in the mid-1990s, and the debate on corporate responsibility that evolved in the runup to the millennium.

Internally, NHO has accepted responsibility by helping equip enterprises with relevant knowledge. Externally, NHO has established a constructive dialogue with the authorities, trade unions and NGOs (non-governmental organisations) about the type of responsibility it is reasonable for enterprises to assume. 

NHO has been a participant of the United Nations Global Compact since 2003.

NHO is also the regional partner in Norway for World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), the international network for the leading business corporations in the field of sustainable development and CSR.

Material in English

• A matter of trust - a guide to corporate responsibility by the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise.

• "...crossing the line?": a tool for developing company policies and engaging employees in considering their practice concerning gifts, hospitality and expenses.

• The booklet Corporate Social Responsibility summarises NHO's efforts in respect of corporate social responsibility and expresses NHOs attitudes to and thoughts on future efforts in this field.

• The NHO checklist Human Rights from the perspective of business and industry was an early intitiative showing businesses how to approach Human rights in practice, and is still a valuable tool.

• The NHO Booklet on anti-corruption work in business corporations, Standpoint corruption. Not updated with respect to recent changes (2003) in Norwegian legislation, but still contains useful general advice.

• In cooperation with the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), NHO published this booklet and checklist describing what businesses should consider with respect to Responsible Engagement in conflict zones.

• The booklet Cooperation for development, on how to establish partnerships between business and NGOs, is the output of a working group chaired by NHO, in cooperation with the Norwegian Development Agency (NORAD), Norwegian Church Aid, Save the children and World Wide Fund (WWF).