Read the Final Statement published by the Sweden NCP 15 November 2021: English
On 15 May 2021, the Iranian Center for International Criminal Law submitted a specific instance to the Swedish NCP alleging that Mölnlycke Health Care, a Swedish medical device company, did not observe the General Policies (Chapter II) and Human Rights (Chapter IV) provisions of the Guidelines. Specifically, the submitter claims that the company has failed to undertake due diligence when it stopped selling wound care materials after international sanctions were imposed on Iran. Since children are suffering due to the lack of health care materials, the submitter claims that the human rights to life and health were breached. The company refutes the allegations and claims.
On 15 November 2021, the Swedish NCP published a statement deciding not to accept the specific instance for further assessment. The NCP determined that the calls for the company to recontinue the sale of its product in Iran and provide reperations to impacted individuals did not fall under the scope of the Guidelines and further intervention from the NCP would not contribute to a resolution. The decision was taken following an internal discussion within the NCP. However, the NCP did provide recommendations concerning the due diligence practices of the company.
The NCP recommends the company be more transparent in their risk-based due diligence process, notably with external stakeholders, and that it provide more details in this regard when deciding to disengage from a market.