The OECD Guidelines include a complaint system for victims of corporate harm. National Contact Points (NCPs) – the government offices that implement the Guidelines – are required to handle complaints of alleged non-observance of the standards in the Guidelines by companies. Part II of the OECD Guidelines (called the ‘Procedures’) sets out how NCPs should handle complaints (formally called ‘specific instances’). Through the complaint process, National Contact Points are expected to help resolve disputes between companies covered by the OECD Guidelines and people harmed by the companies’ business activities. 

Civil society from around the world have used the NCP complaint process to address social and environmental harms connected to corporate misconduct. Civil society have used the complaint process to seek remedy for harms from business activity, stop potentially harmful business activity from going forward, secure better business conduct in the future, and raise investor, government, and public awareness about the international standards companies should – but often fail – to meet.

Before filing a complaint, communities and their representatives should consider whether an NCP complaint is the right tool to challenge the harm they are facing. We encourage civil society fighting corporate impacts to read our guidance on whether and how to file a complaint, and the stages of the NCP complaint process.

Stages of an NCP complaint

For potential complainants, it is helpful to consider the complaint process in seven stages:

  1. Stage One: Deciding to file
  2. Stage Two: Preparing and filing
  3. Stage Three: Coordination
  4. Stage Four: Initial assessment
  5. Stage Five: Mediation
  6. Stage Six: Final statement
  7. Stage Seven: Follow-up