A guide to National Contact Points (NCPs) for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises

Briefly introduce your, or your organization’s activities and your interest in or connection to the issues you are raising. Has your community been affected by the company’s activities? Have you campaigned about the issues/harms for many years? It is often helpful to refer to your organization’s mission, previous work, or advocacy.

If you are concerned about your security or reprisals, you can again request that the NCP withhold some or all of the complainant’s contact information from the company.

Include information about the company or companies, making clear why the company is covered by the Guidelines. Either:

• Because the company is headquartered in a country that follows the Guidelines, and/or 
• Because its relevant activities take place in a country that follows the Guidelines. 

If necessary, and if known, describe the corporate structure of the company. 

Include a sub-section for each alleged breach of the Guidelines. Provide your strongest evidence to describe who, what, when, where and why for each allegation. Refer to OECD Watch’s guidance on preparing and filing a complaint for more information. 

It can be helpful to define the company’s relationship to each harm. According to the OECD Guidelines, a company can be causing, contributing, or directly linked to a harm. Refer to OECD Watch’s guidance on company responsibility for harm for more information. 

Documents with additional information can be annexed to the complaint, but they should be mentioned and referenced in the text.

Explain the link between the harms you are facing and the company or companies. This is usually also covered by other sections. 

Describe any relevant national or international laws or standards that are relevant to the issues you are raising. 

Describe any other related complaints (including judicial, administrative, or non-judicial complaints) against the company.

Explain why handling the complaint would not cause serious prejudice to any ongoing legal or administrative proceedings.

Refer to OECD Watch’s guidance on NCP parallel proceedings for more information.

Explain why the NCP should accept the complaint. Focus on your previous attempts to resolve the issue with the company (if applicable), how the NCP’s involvement could assist you, and what you would seek in a mediated agreement with the company. For instance, this could include seeking compliance with due diligence expectations in the Guidelines, including for the company to properly identify, assess, stop, prevent and/or mitigate harm in its own operations, as well as in its value chain, that are connected to the issues raised in this complaint. You can find examples of NCP agreements, determinations and consequences on OECD Watch’s database.

Sometimes it is necessary to explain why you filed the complaint to one NCP and not another. This might be the case if the harms were felt on the ground in a country with an NCP, but you are filing the complaint to the NCP in the country where the company is headquartered. If this is the case, you should explain your decision to file this complaint to the NCP. Refer to OECD Watch’s guidance on filing complaints to NCPs for more information.

This chapter outlines broad expectations for responsible business conduct, including the obligation to carry out risk-based due diligence to prevent and address harm to people and the environment.Companies must avoid causing or contributing to harm, and take actions where they are directly linked to harm through business relationships, even if they didn’t cause it. Due diligence should be integrated into company policies and systems, focus on risks to people (not just businesses), and apply throughout the value chain. Companies are also expected to engage meaningfully with affected stakeholders and support responsible conduct by business partners. 

The OECD has produced Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct, which can also be cited in support of any due diligence failures. For more, see OECD Watch’s guidance on due diligence. 

This chapter outlines expectations for companies to disclose timely, clear, and accurate information on all material matters, including financial performance, governance and sustainability. It emphasizes responsible business conduct disclosures, such as due diligence processes and impacts on people and the environment. Disclosures should follow international standards, be accessible to all stakeholders, and include independent audits to ensure credibility. Businesses are encouraged to proactively communicate relevant information while balancing confidentiality and cost concerns. 

Companies must respect internationally recognized human rights by avoiding infringing on others’ rights and addressing any adverse impacts they cause, contribute to, or are linked to through business relationships. They should adopt a public human rights policy, conduct human rights due diligence, and provide or cooperate in remediation where they cause or contribute to harm. This applies regardless of local law or context, with special attention to vulnerable groups. Due diligence and stakeholder engagement are key to identifying, preventing and addressing impacts, and companies are encouraged to use legitimate grievance mechanisms to support remedy. 

Companies should uphold international labour standards by respecting workers’ rights to unionise and bargain collectively, and by eliminating child labour, forced labour, and discrimination. They must provide safe and healthy workplaces, fair wages, and benefits not below local standards, and support local employment and training. Companies should engage in good-faith dialogue with workers’ representatives, share relevant information, and provide advance notice of major employment changes. They must not use threats of relocation to influence negotiations and should support grievance processes to resolve disputes fairly and lawfully.

Companies should avoid and address adverse environmental impacts, including on climate, biodiversity, and ecosystems, while contributing to sustainable development. They are expected to manage environmental risks through due diligence, set and monitor science-based targets, and provide transparent, timely information. Companies should engage stakeholders, maintain contingency plans, adopt best available technologies, and promote sustainable products and circular economy practices. They should support environmental education, respect animal welfare, and contribute to climate goals, including net-zero emissions. Cooperation with business partners and alignment with international standards are key to improving environmental performance and resilience.

Companies must not engage in bribery or corruption, including offering, accepting, or facilitating undue advantages through intermediaries. They should implement risk-based internal controls, ethics, and compliance programmes to prevent, detect, and address corruption, including due diligence and accurate record-keeping. Companies must ensure oversight of agents, promote integrity and transparency, train staff, and avoid illegal political contributions. They are encouraged to disclose misconduct and cooperate with authorities, fostering a culture of accountability and contributing to the broader fight against corruption.

Companies should ensure their goods and services meet safety standards and do not pose unreasonable risks. They must provide clear, accurate, and accessible information to help consumers make informed decisions and facilitate product comparisons. Companies should avoid deceptive or unfair practices, offer effective and low-cost dispute resolution, and protect consumer privacy. They are encouraged to support consumer education, cooperate with authorities to prevent harm, and consider the needs of vulnerable consumers and the challenges of e-commerce. Sustainable consumption and responsible marketing are also emphasized.

Companies should conduct risk-based due diligence on potential adverse impacts related to technology, data use, and innovation. This includes impacts arising both upstream and downstream, from the development of the use of technologies. Due diligence should also address harms resulting from known or foreseeable misuse of products, including by consumers or authoritarian governments. Companies are encouraged to support responsible technology transfer, ethical research, and local capacity building while respecting privacy, intellectual property, and security. Companies should promote responsible data governance and transparency, and contribute to an open, secure, and inclusive Internet. Innovation should align with sustainable development, anticipate risks, and protect human rights, particularly in digital and emerging technologies.

Companies must comply with all applicable competition laws and avoid anti-competitive practices, including price-fixing, bid-rigging, market division, or output restrictions. They should cooperate with competition authorities, promote employee awareness, and train senior management on competition compliance. Companies must consider the impact of their conduct across jurisdictions and support fair market conditions that promote consumer welfare and economic growth. Collusion on wages or hiring (e.g., no-poach agreements) may also breach competition law, requiring careful compliance in labour practices and mergers.

Companies should pay taxes on time and comply with both the letter and spirit of tax laws in all countries where they operate. They must provide relevant information to tax authorities, manage tax risks through oversight systems, and align transfer pricing with the arm’s length principle. Transparency and cooperation with authorities, including in cross-border matters, are essential. Companies should avoid tax practices that distort economic reality or undermine legislative intent, while managing financial, regulatory, and reputational risks associated with taxation.