"The occupation of Western-Sahara has continued for several decades and is in many ways one of the world's "forgotten" conflicts. Presently, it is difficult to conclude that companies can engage in oil exploration on the continental shelf off the coast of Western Sahara in a manner consistent with international law", Head of Responsible Investments for KLP Kapitalforvaltning, Jeanett Bergan stated in a press release today.
KLP thus announced that it has excluded Glencore due to the company's oil exploration off the coast of Western Sahara.
KLP's conclusion is that this activity "constitutes an unacceptable risk of violating fundamental ethical norms". KLP has previously excluded the French oil company Total for similar activities.
Download the full KLP analysis about the Glencore exclusion here.
Glencore's involvement in Western Sahara received attention in Norway as it had contracted a Norwegian seismic services company to carry out mapping of the seafloor on its licence in the occupied territory. The company they had commissioned, SeaBird Exploration, later regretted its involvement. «We admit having done a mistake. It feels very uncomfortable having contributed in supporting an occupation power», SeaBird stated regarding its Glencore partnership.
The investor KLP also now reincludes the Australian company Wesfarmers in its investment universe, following a blacklisting of the latter in 2007 due to import of phosphate rock from Western Sahara. "The company has, however, developed a technological method for processing phosphate such that Wesfarmers no longer needs or purchases phosphate from Western Sahara", KLP noted.
KLP is a mutual insurance company responsible for the management of municipal and county pensions and insurance issues in Norway.
Read also about the KLP exclusion of Glencore in Bloomberg, 8 December 2015.
UN body calls for the release of imprisoned Saharawi student
In a decision published yesterday, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concludes that the detention of the Saharawi student and human rights defender Al-Hussein Al-Bachir Ibrahim is arbitrary. The UN Working Group called on Morocco to immediately release him from the deplorable prison conditions.
Two Norwegians Are Now Being Deported from Occupied Western Sahara
Two more Norwegians, who travelled to occupied Western Sahara to learn about Morocco’s controversial energy projects in the territory, were detained by Moroccan police this afternoon and deported.
Norwegians deported from occupied Western Sahara - wanted to learn about renewable energy
Today, 25 Moroccan police officers showed up to expel two Norwegians from occupied Western Sahara. The two had traveled to learn what the Sahrawis think about Morocco's controversial renewable energy projects on occupied land.
UN committee highlights Moroccan impunity in occupied Western Sahara
Sahrawi civil society welcomes a new report from the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearance, and urges exhumations and identification of victims in the Morocco-occupied Western Sahara.