Cooperation and Development (OECD) LGBTI PEOPLE’S RIGHTS Proposed amendments to the Civil Status Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The Registration Act enabled transgender people legislation required larger enterprises (a total to register their chosen gender. The Helsinki of around 9,000 companies) to carry out due Committee reported a 31% increase in diligence with respect to human rights and homophobic hate speech prior to the Skopje decent working conditions in relation to their Pride in June. own operations, their supply chain and all business relationships within the value chain. It obliged companies to disclose key findings NORWAY – as well as preventive measures taken to avoid adverse impacts – on an annual basis Kingdom of Norway and to respond to specific enquiries within a Head of state: Harald V three-week time limit. Head of government: Jonas Gahr Støre (replaced Erna VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS Solberg in October) In October, the new government announced The annual resettlement quota for refugees its intention to amend the Penal Code and to was continued but the government made define sexual intercourse without consent as clear that it could use its legal scope to rape, in line with the Council of Europe refer asylum seekers back to other “safe Convention on preventing and combating countries”. Parliament adopted a new law violence against women and domestic obliging larger companies to ensure respect violence (Istanbul Convention), which it for human rights and decent working ratified in 2017. conditions throughout their operations and supply chains. Plans were announced to redefine rape as sexual intercourse without OMAN consent. Sultanate of Oman REFUGEES’ AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTS Head of state and government: Haitham bin Tariq In July, the government announced that it would stop all deportations to Afghanistan. The government continued to detain and The new government, elected in September, prosecute critics, activists and peaceful continued the annual resettlement quota demonstrators. Migrant workers remained commitment to accept 3,000 refugees. insufficiently protected against exploitation. Separately, however, it announced that it Women continued to face discrimination in would consider the possibility of using the law and practice. The death penalty “room for manoeuvre” in current legislation remained in force. to “refer” asylum seekers back to so-called BACKGROUND “safe countries” outside Europe if they had come to Norway via those countries. This Authorities pursued their Omanization policy meant that it could deprive asylum seekers of to replace foreign workers with nationals. In their right to apply for and receive asylum in May, the sultan announced directives to Norway – something that would represent a create up to 32,000 jobs in the public sector serious setback in national refugee practice. following protests over unemployment. CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY In June, Oman, which had the slowest Covid-19 vaccination roll-out in the Gulf, In June, the parliament adopted a corporate accelerated its immunization drive. The due diligence law based on the UN’s Guiding Ministry of Health announced that persons Principles on Business and Human Rights with disabilities could receive the vaccine at and the Organisation for Economic home. Amnesty International Report 2021/22 284