Myanmar ambassador to the UN has been appointed by the real and only legitimate government: the National Unity Government of Myanmar. The people of Myanmar did not elect the junta and the democratically elected government of the country that is now in exile has clearly expressed that they do not approve of the sale. It ought to be beyond discussion that any sale – sensitive as it is in a military dictatorship – must be endorsed by the lawful government of Myanmar. As such, the sale must be held back until the rightful government of Myanmar is reinstalled. We appreciate that Telenor finds itself in a very difficult position, and that there are no easy solutions to this issue. However, we would have expected the company to have been aware of the risk of ending up in this situation when it first opted to do business in Myanmar, knowing well the long-standing problems caused by the country’s military. The OECD has published international guidelines on responsible business conduct (‘OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises’) that are applicable in these situations. In 2021, on behalf of 474 Myanmar-based civil organizations, the NGO SOMO filed a complaint to the Norwegian National Contact Point (NCP) alleging that Telenor Group ASA had breached these guidelines. The Norwegian NCP accepted the complaint as bona fide and relevant to the guidelines, but the complaint is yet to be finalized. It is also arguable that, under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the sale of Telenor Myanmar with subscribers’ personal data is illegal. It is our opinion that the sale of Telenor Myanmar to the M1 Group has significant geopolitical consequences. Therefore, we strongly believe that it ought to be brought directly to the Norwegian Government to be decided on, and not left to the Telenor Group ASA alone. It worries us deeply that Telenor so far has ignored the real government of Myanmar, but rather awaits acceptance of the sale from a violent and illegitimate extremist regime. We call on the Norwegian Prime Minister to act on Norway’s condemnation of the coup and ask the government to stop the sale before it is too late. We point to the government’s own platform, which states that government will use active state ownership to promote common interests regarding issues such as sustainability. It should be clear that it is not sustainable to support and legitimize illegitimate regimes, and we strongly believe that it is in the common interest of the Norwegian people to avoid doing so. A lack of action from the Norwegian government will stain Norway’s reputation as a long-time defender of peace and human rights globally. As the new Prime Minister of Norway, you have the power to show leadership and reverse the damaging sale and furthermore prove to the world, and to the democratic movement of Myanmar, that Norway and Telenor are as noble as you actively promoted as Foreign Minister when endorsing Telenor operating in Myanmar less than 10 years ago. Norway has he the presidency in the UN Security Council this month, and the situation in Myanmar was highlighted by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anniken Huitfeldt, as one area where Norway would monitor developments closely. Stopping the sale of Telenor Myanmar would be an excellent way for Norway to prove that it does not only talk the talk, but also walks the walk on human rights issues. Forum for Utvikling og Miljø Storgata 11, 0155 Oslo Org. nr.: 971 274 646 forumfor@forumfor.no www.forumfor.no