Guidelines on Norway’s human rights policy

Norway’s efforts in these priority areas are an integral part of our human rights policy. We employ a wide range of tools and work through intergovernmental and regional organisations, such as the UN, the Council of Europe and the OSCE, as well as directly in individual countries.

The purpose of these guidelines is to provide practical advice on how Norway can continue, intensify and systematise its efforts to promote human rights. Our aim has been to provide sound, practical and relevant guidelines that will provide inspiration for human rights work across the Foreign Service. The guidelines are also designed to strengthen our work in multilateral forums and our consultations on human rights at political level.

The guidelines are primarily intended to be used by the Foreign Service, but they will also be used to raise awareness of Norway’s policy and priorities among our partners and the general public.

The following sets of guidelines are now available:

• Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
• Norway’s efforts to support human rights defenders  (in Spanish)
• Promoting abolition of the death penalty (also available in French, Spanish and Arabic)
• Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Freedoms of Persons belonging to Religious Minorities
• Promoting the rights of indigenous peoples (in English) (in Spanish)

Policy document:

• Norway’s international efforts to promote the rights of persons with disabilities