Conducting multi-sectoral consultations in Business and Human Rights

About the Role

The ASEAN-Australian Counter Trafficking program (AACT) is recruiting Thailand-based NGOs with a background in working with migrant workers in Thailand to conduct a series of related policy engagements in Thailand. Two to four NGO partners are anticipated to be selected based on their geographical areas of focus and networks. 

NGOs applying for this consultancy will demonstrate a range of skills and experience including on: migrant workers’ rights promotion and protection, engaging in related policy advocacy, research and briefings, and facilitating multi-stakeholder dialogues.

Selected NGOs are initially engaged through a Deed of Standing Offer. NGOs selected through the application process will subsequently be invited by AACT to submit a short Expression of Interest to develop and coordinate policy engagements, which will have a specific geographic and/or sectoral focus, under the broader area of human rights due diligence. 

Upon AACT’s review of Expressions of Interest received, the selected NGO is awarded a tasking note through the Deed of Standing Offer to deliver policy engagements, minimising subsequent application and contracting processes following the initial selection.

About the Program

ASEAN–Australia Counter Trafficking (AACT) continues Australia’s long-running collaboration with ASEAN and its Member States to end human trafficking in the region. The program is a ten-year investment (2018 to 2028) principally working to strengthen the justice sector response to trafficking in persons, while advancing victims' rights. The program has established partnerships with government agencies, civil society, and businesses. We engage with all 10 ASEAN Member States in some capacity and have national-level programming in Cambodia, Lao PDR, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

AACT supports ASEAN Member States to integrate gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) and protect the rights of victims of trafficking. The program has developed GEDSI and victim rights strategies to provide a conceptual framework and practical implementation approach to analyse and respond to GEDSI and victim rights challenges in countering trafficking. As a core program component, specific projects and activities to advance GEDSI and victim rights have been designed and implemented in collaboration with AACT's partners and stakeholders.

Project context for multi-sector consultations

Thailand is recognised as having significant prevalence of forced labour, primarily of migrant workers in labour intensive industries. This is largely in the private sector, in business operations and supply chains. The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (B&HR) elaborates three pillars of Protect, Respect and Remedy, for which governments have the responsibility to protect, businesses have the responsibility to respect, and both have the responsibility to remedy violations of human rights. These Guiding Principles, adopted in 2011, were voluntary for businesses, yet recent years have seen a growing demand for more mandatory regimes for corporations to exercise their responsibility to ensure there are no human rights violations in their supply chains, and remedy any that occur.

Thailand has established itself as a leader in the region on business and human rights with the first national action, with the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) having leadership also in related sustainability and ESG reporting and standards. Thailand is now considering human rights due diligence legislation, mandating that businesses are responsible for any human rights violations throughout their supply chains.

As representatives of Thailand’s civil society, NGOs have served a key role in identifying forced labour trends and cases in Thailand, and in building relationships of trust with affected communities of migrant workers, as well as policymakers and business. NGOs have been effective in working with relevant stakeholders through long-term relationships, and engaging affected communities, victims/survivors, workers, government agencies and businesses, to collaborate to promote and protect the rights of migrant workers. Through their work, NGOs have provided a range of assistance in cases that provide learnings to inform policymaking.

Roles and Responsibilities

AACT seeks to collaborate with selected NGOs to conduct policy engagements, including multi-sectoral consultations on policy and practices, for policy priorities identified in Thailand. Under AACT’s policy engagement plan, this includes policies to address vulnerabilities to trafficking on:

• Reviewing and improving labour migration governance for foreign migrant workers in Thailand, improving protections and reducing cost and complexity in the process.
• Developing inclusive human rights due diligence legislation and policies, in consultation with civil society and the private sector.

Example activities will include the NGOs convening or contributing to consultations with business, workers’ representatives, relevant government agencies, academia and experts, in different geographical regions within Thailand to better understand and inform the policy development. On labour migration governance, this may include consultations and preparation of policy briefs on the situation of labour migration in Thailand and recommendations for longer-term rights based sustainability. On human rights diligence, this may include consultations on the B&HR guiding principles; Thailand’s B&HR National Action Plan; the evolving norms towards mandatory due diligence; relevance to human trafficking and modern slavery in Thailand; good practices and lessons learned; and Thailand’s planned/draft due diligence legislation. 

Consultations will engage stakeholders in understanding the policies and contributing to policy development. The engagement in policy development will help to ensure better informed and crafted policy for the local context and ensure that these stakeholders are subsequently participating in supporting implementation when the legislation is enacted.
For each multi-sectoral consultation where the partner is engaged to convene the consultation, the following set of tasks will be undertaken by the selected NGO:

• Consultation preparations: preparing background materials/paper for policy engagement, consultation theme and expected outcomes, developing event materials including agenda and speakers (to be agreed with AACT)
• Technical support in consultation preparations, event facilitation and post-event activities
• Event coordination and logistics, including Identifying and inviting participants
• Post-event reporting (8-10 page summary report including recommendations and next steps)

AACT and the NGO will work together to select a suitable venue for the consultation. AACT will provide support for logistical arrangements as needed in finalising preparations for the consultation. AACT will be responsible for all direct costs associated with the consultations, including venue and participant travel costs. 

Where an NGO partner has the opportunity to contribute to or engage in a relevant policy process, AACT and the NGO will discuss possible approaches to the policy and how the NGO may provide technical or other support. The NGO or AACT may identify such opportunities and propose steps to engagement based on AACT’s policy engagement plan.

Where the development of policy briefs, research, and advocacy materials are deemed appropriate for policy engagements, AACT will determine professional service rates to compensate for staff time.

Terms of Engagement

Successful candidates will be contracted through Deeds of Standing Offer, and will be invited to submit a brief Expression of Interest for each planned consultation. 

AACT anticipates issuing Expressions of Interest for multiple multi-sectoral consultations and policy engagements between March 2025 and December 2027. The Expression of Interest template will be a one page form where selected NGOs will indicate how their geographic area of focus, sectoral experience and connection with relevant stakeholders support their ability to deliver the consultation. 

For each multi-stakeholder consultation or policy engagement assignment, a Service Order will be signed outlining the assignment terms and duration.

AACT will cover all direct costs associated with the delivery of consultations, in accordance with AACT’s policies, outlined in the program’s Operations Manual.

Being contracted through Deeds of Standing Offer provides no guarantee of work, with work assigned only through a Service Order.

Click on the link or copy-paste it to access the full Terms of Reference for this position: https://bit.ly/AACTCSO

Selection Criteria
 

• Demonstrated understanding of business and human rights frameworks, human rights due diligence and/or human trafficking prevention, including experience working with migrant workers’ at a community level
• Experience in convening consultations on related policies and programmes, and contributing to related policy development
• Collaborative approach in working with employers and government agencies
• Experience of proposed team members
• Financial proposal

How to Apply

Applicants are required to complete and submit their proposal by providing the following details, as listed in the response form. The response form can be downloaded through https://bit.ly/AACTResponse.

• Summary on why they are well positioned to facilitate and contribute to policy engagement (200 words maximum)
• Summary of experience in conducting similar activities (200 words maximum)
• Names and titles of team members, their roles in supporting consultations and CVs
• Financial proposal to deliver the consultation, including fee for administration costs (note direct costs associated with the consultation will be managed by AACT)

APPLICATIONS CLOSE: Tuesday 25th March 2025, 11:59 pm Bangkok time
 

AACT Briefing Session

AACT will offer to hold a briefing session and respond to questions interested applications about the consultancy focus the recruitment process and their application. 

If an applicant is interested in attending a briefing session, please express interest by 5th March 2025 to this email address: recruitment@aseanact.org. 
A recording of the briefing session will be made available to interested applicants who are unable to attend the session. 

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