Norwegian Public and Private Anti-Corruption Initiatives

The following section describes the key business-relevant anti-corruption initiatives initiated by organisations in Norway.

Norfund - Norwegian Investment Fund for Developing Countries

Norfund, the Norwegian Investment Fund for Developing Countries, works to reduce poverty and create sustainable economic growth by investing risk capital in profitable businesses in developing countries.

The fight against corruption and economic crime is a top priority in Norwegian development policy and a critical aspect of Norfund's mandate of poverty reduction through profitable and sustainable private sector investments. Corruption and economic crime are key risk factors in our work: financially, developmentally, and reputation-wise.

Our strategy for avoiding and combating corruption and economic crime in our investment activities are based on the following principles:

• A focus on prevention
• Building a culture of 'zero tolerance' with clear management leadership
• Any problem or suspected problem shall be communicated to the responsible Investment Director without delay
• Line responsibility and personal responsibility for Business Integrity issues

Key activities in our project cycle are therefore:

• Evaluating the backgrounds and integrity of partners and ensuring aligned interests on appropriate business practices in the early phases of a project
• Ensuring that corruption, money laundering and similar issues are explicitly addressed in the project’s legal agreements in the investment phase
• As owners, improving Business Integrity performance is seen as a key value-added and development impact of our investments

Norfund is a member of Transparency International; has developed Ethical Guidelines for all staff and a comprehensive Business Integrity Policy.

Read the Norfund Business Integrity Policy (pdf).

For more information on Norfund and our investment guidelines, visit our website: www.norfund.no.

Anyone applying for a guarantee from The Norwegian Export Credit Agency (Garanti-Instituttet for Eksport Kreditt - GIEK) will have to sign a statement that he has not employed or will employ illegal bribes in connection with current export business. The statement will include information on the use of agents. If a guarantee is granted, the exporter must furthermore declare that he agrees that he may loose the right to compensation and that any compensation paid may be reimbursed if he has employed illegal bribery. By illegal bribery is meant acts described in Section 276a to 276c of the Norwegian Penal Code.

Correspondingly, the conditions towards a lender include a clause whereby the lender who employs illegal bribery may lose the right to compensation. If compensation has been paid, he may reimburse the amount of the compensation and indemnify GIEK.

Read GIEK's Anti-Bribery Policy.

Fighting corruption is an essential part of Norwegian development politics, both supporting anti-corruption in partner countries, and preventing cases of corruption regarding Norwegian assistance.

Norad provides technical advice on guidelines and other anti-corruption activities in Norwegian development cooperation. Norad also makes an active contribution to technical discussions on anti-corruption, nationally and internationally.

Norad cooperates on anti-corruption efforts with Norwegian research institutions, other departments, Norwegian and international NGOs, and Norwegian trade unions and employers’ organisations.

Corruption clauses are included in agreements with NGOs, INGOs and consultancies that Norad funds directly. Norads department of legal affairs assists the Norwegian MFA when agreements are set.

Norads primary anti-corruption strategy is to provide quality advice to the Norwegian MFA on anti-corruption related development issues as well as to safeguard those agreements that Norad handles. Norad also contributes to the U4-cooperative on web-based information and advice service to prevent corruption.

Read about the Norad Anti-Corruption Initiatives.

Chr. Michelsens Institutt (CMI, www.cmi.no) is an independent centre for research on international development and politics with a focus on poor countries. Located in Bergen, Norway, CMI is a major international centre for policy-oriented and applied development research. CMI research aims to inform and influence political decision making processes and contribute to the public discourse on international development issues. Through close co-operation with researchers in the South, CMI research seeks to promote developing countries’ perspective on Norwegian and international development policy.

The U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre is an integrated part of CMI's work on corruption. With the aim to promote context-appropriate knowledge on anti-corruption, U4 offers focused research products, online and in-country training, a help desk service and a rich array of online resources available at www.u4.no.

Innovation Norway (IN) seeks to support and promote entrepreneurs, newly-founded and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that seek to grow, particularly in international markets. We offer programs and services intended to help boost innovation in business and industry nationwide. Innovation Norway is a global organisation. In addition to representation in all counties in the country we have offices in more than thirty countries. Ethical issues, particularly issues relating to corruption, are important areas of engagement both in relation to our customers and our employees. We work actively to prepare Norwegian enterprises for realities they may encounter abroad.

Innovation Norway’s ethical guidelines affirm that corruption is prohibited. Ethics and social responsibility are part of our criteria for offering financial and advisory services, building networks, and profiling activities. Information and prevention concerning prevention of corruption are important in our advisory services internationally. Innovation Norway promotes the use of the ethical principles in our ethical guidelines towards customers and other partners.

• Through our internet portal, Innovation Norway provides access to information and assistance regarding anti-corruption. Read more about Innovation Norway's Ethics and Anti-Corruption Assistance.
• Innovation Norway provides seminars regarding ethics and business culture and contributes to conferences and events on anti-corruption. The Exportschool is an education program which, among other things, attends to issues surrounding culture, corruption and case studies.
• Innovation Norway develops country reports on business culture.
• According to Innovation Norway’s terms and conditions, if it is found that a business or central individuals in a business are involved in corruption, repayment of financial support from Innovation Norway may be required or, in some circumstances, not disbursed.

The Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO) has since 1993 been engaged in building awareness and capacity in its member companies to handle the corruption challenge. The initiative Standpoint corruption was launched in 2000 in order to inform Norwegian enterprise on the new legislation concerning corruption. Download The Standpoint corruption booklet in Norwegian or in English.

In 2006 NHO addressed the issue of gifts, hospitality and expenses through a booklet and a series of workshops called 'Crossing the line?'. Download the booklet 'Crossing the line?' in Norwegian or in English.

The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) is the largest and most influential workers organisation in Norway. About 835 000 workers are affiliated with the 23 national unions which in turn are affiliated with LO.

The organisation is concerned with corruption both at home and abroad. LO is a member of Transparency International and the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI). High on their agenda is anti-corruption work in development aid transfers to the Southern hemisphere, the European Union and the former Soviet Union. LO is a member and active participant of the tripartite UN organisation for labour matters, International Labour Organisation (ILO) and participates in the national ILO committee. Anti-corruption is an important component of all ILOs work. LO is also a member of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the International Trade Union Confederation which both have anti-corruption work high on the agenda.