What are National Contact Points?

The only formal obligation that the Guidelines put on countries is to set up National Contact Points, NCPs, whose primary responsibility it is to ensure the follow-up of the Guidelines. National Contact Points (NCPs) are responsible for encouraging observance of the Guidelines in a national context and for ensuring that the Guidelines are well known and understood by the national business community and by other interested parties. The NCPs also deals with specific instances, which is the term used for complaints. If the parties involved do not reach an agreement with regard to the specific instance, the NCP is required to issue a statement. However, NCPs do not monitor whether or not companies are following the Guidelines.

NCPs should respond to enquires about the Guidelines from other NCPs, the business community, employee organisations, NGOs, the public and governments from non-adhering countries. NCPs have the right to screen cases, that is decide if they are admissible or not through the initial assessment procedure. When a party raises a case, the NCP is required to make an initial assessment of whether the issue raised merits further examination and respond to the party. Generally, issues are dealt with by the NCP in whose country the issue has arisen. If there is no NCP in that country, cases can instead be brought before the NCP in the country where the company is headquartered. The institutional set up of the NCP differs from country to country. 21 NCPs consist of a single government department, 6 NCPs consist of multiple governmental departments, 8 are tripartite and 2 are quadripartite. Thereby, there is an obvious risk that NCPs make different initial assessments. After completion of the initial assessment, the focus is on problem solving with help from experts, stakeholders, other NCPs and the Investment Committee and through mediation with the parties involved.

Any person or organisation may approach a National Contact Point to enquire about a matter related to the Guidelines. Because of the central role it plays, the effectiveness of the NCP is a crucial factor in determining how influential the Guidelines are in each national context. All NCPs should function in a visible, accessible, transparent and accountable manner.

Link to documents on annual meetings of NCPs:
www.oecd.org/document/53/...