Norway: Sovereign wealth fund backs Microsoft over Israel human rights concerns
"Norway’s $2.1 Trillion Fund Backs Microsoft in Human Rights Vote", 30 November 2025
Norway’s $2.1 trillion sovereign wealth fund is backing Microsoft Corp. in a controversial case involving its human rights vetting processes.
Some shareholders proposed requiring the software company to assess its due diligence on human rights after reports that its products were used by the Israeli military for mass surveillance of civilians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Norges Bank Investment Management, which manages the fund, voted against the proposal...
NBIM held about $50 billion worth of Microsoft stock, or 1.35%, at the end of June...
Earlier this year, Microsoft disabled some of its software used by the Israeli military after an investigation found that data related to mass surveillance of civilians was stored on Microsoft cloud services, which is against the company’s rules...
Norway recently paused the work of its independent ethics council that advised the wealth fund, pending a review of its guidelines over the next year. The fund was at the receiving end of sharp criticism from some US lawmakers after divesting from Caterpillar Inc. in August, due to Israel’s use of its armored bulldozers in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.