“In accordance with section 5 of the Act, the Norwegian Parliament elects the board. Further, section 2 of the Regulation stipulates that the Parliament will actively inform of the possibilities to propose candidates to the board. 

The SCA acknowledges that the NNHRI reports that, in practice, the selection and appointment process is conducted in an open and transparent manner. However, the SCA is of the view that the selection process currently enshrined in the legislation is not sufficiently broad and transparent. In particular, it does not specify the process for achieving broad consultation and/ or participation in application, screening, selection and appointments process. 

It is critically important to ensure the formalization of a clear, transparent and participatory selection and appointment process for an NHRI’s decision making body in relevant legislation, regulations or binding administrative guidelines, as appropriate. A process that promotes merit 

based selection and ensures pluralism is necessary to ensure the independence of, and public confidence in, the senior leadership of an NHRI. 

The SCA encourages the NNHRI to advocate for the formalization and application of a process that includes requirements to: 

a) Publicize vacancies broadly; 

b) Maximize the number of potential candidates from a wide range of societal groups and educational qualifications; 

c) Promote broad consultation and / or participation in the application, screening, selection and appointment process; 

d) Assess applicants on the basis of pre-determined, objective and publicly-available criteria; and 

e) Select members to serve in their individual capacity rather than on behalf of the organization they represent.”