On the 18th of June, the university board made the decision to request the university director to attend the board meeting scheduled for September 17th with the following message:
- Updated procurement strategy (2024-2028).
- Revised ethical guidelines for procurement at UiO.
- Proposal for implementing the procurement strategy through annually revised action plans and reporting.
- Principles that ensure a systematic approach to due diligence assessments for procurement.
- Explanation of how due diligence assessments for procurement are followed up at UiO, especially regarding the risk of suppliers committing, contributing to, or being directly linked to violations of fundamental human rights and international humanitarian law.
Due Diligence Assessments
UiO procures goods and services worth more than NOK 2.9 billion annually from more than 5,600 suppliers.
In the report from the university director, available here in Norwegian: v-sak-34-24-uios-etiske-anskaffelsesrutiner.pdf, the frameworks that UiO follows in its procurement procedures were explained, especially those related to human rights. The legal frameworks for UiO as a public institution, for example, do not provide the right to reject or boycott Israeli suppliers on a general basis, except for business or trade with goods produced in Israeli settlements on occupied territory. In cases of elevated risk, suppliers are subjected to due diligence assessments. Any rejection must be justified by specific circumstances concerning the individual supplier.
The university board was informed about UiO's procurement policy in March - here in Norwegian i-sak-6-24-uios-innkjopspolicy---okonomiske-virkemiddel-knyttet-til-konflinkten-i-gaza.pdf. Since then, the UiOs procedures and checklists for procurement have been updated and the enforcement has been tightened.
Procedures for Risk Mapping
The assessment of the university director is that UiO has established procedures that reduce trade with actors who may be responsible for human rights violations or have activity in areas where such violations are at risk. UiO has initiated work on procedures for risk mapping with measures related to different risk levels, in order to take a more systematic approach to due diligence assessments for procurement.
- We must be aware of what the ethical guidelines mean and how to practice and follow up due diligence assessments, says university director Arne Benjaminsen.