Competition Law and Human Rights Policy Research Consultancy

PURPOSE

Amnesty International is looking for a consultant to develop a draft policy paper for the organisation which evaluates how companies functioning as monopolies can affect people’s ability to enjoy human rights. This paper should explore the intersection between competition/anti-trust law and international human rights law and standards, and the possibilities for using competition/antitrust law as a tool for holding companies to account for human rights abuses.

The consultant will be asked to undertake a review of published work by scholars and practitioners working at the intersection of competition law/anti-trust law and human rights, in addition to a review of Amnesty International’s relevant policies and positions. This review should inform the drafting of a policy paper setting out the possible position on the use of competition/anti-trust law as a tool to advance corporate accountability and to protect human rights.

The surveillance-based business model of the largest tech companies – such as Google and Meta – has enabled these companies to establish near total control over the primary channels that most people rely on to engage with the digital world and the global “public square”. With this in mind the consultant will be asked to include a substantive section of the policy which focuses specifically on the context of Big Tech i.e. the use of competition law to hold Big Tech to account for human rights harm.

Consultancy start and end date: This is a 25-day assignment, with an expected start of January 2025

Location: Global dependent upon the suitable consultant’s location.

Deadline for all applications: Sunday, 5th January 23:59pm UK time

Rate: £300 per day

**Please note that we will not be accepting agency candidates for this role**

OBJECTIVES AND DELIVERABLES:

1. Review of published work and internal Amnesty documentation (approx. 5 days)

The consultant will be asked to undertake a review of published work by scholars and practitioners working at the intersection of competition law/anti-trust law and human rights. The consultant will also be required to engage with members of Amnesty International’s Big Tech Accountability and Business and Human Rights teams as well as to conduct a review of key Amnesty International policy positions, in order to understand the complexities of Amnesty International’s engagement with research, advocacy and campaigning actions related to the competition/anti-trust space.

At the end of this section of work, the consultant will be required to share and overview of their findings and have a meeting with Amnesty Tech’s Big Tech accountability and Business and Human Rights teams to help shape the appropriate outputs for the next phase.

1. Draft policy position on competition law and human rights (approx. 15 days)

The consultant will be required to develop a draft policy position for Amnesty International on the role of monopolies and how they can affect people’s human rights, This could be a set of general principles or criteria that Amnesty could draw upon in taking public positions on particular companies that ultimately have an adverse impact on people’s human rights due to their size and power in a particular industry.

The consultant will also be required to include a section of the policy specifically focused on the application of this draft policy position on Big Tech.

Regular check ins with Amnesty’s Big Tech accountability and Business and Human Rights teams will be required during the drafting.

Please refer to the Terms of Reference attached for more information on this Consultancy opportunity.

Application instructions

To apply for this work, applicants will be required to submit the following via our recruitment system eArcu – please upload all relevant documents to the CV section of the application portal).

• A short bio, outlining your experience in both international human rights law and competition and anti-trust (no more than 1 page).
• A cover letter explaining your proposed approach to this opportunity which includes examples of the candidate’s relevant work experience.
• A detailed budget including a breakdown of the fees you would charge for this work.

Prices must be given in British pounds sterling.

As standard, payments are made by Amnesty International 30 days after receipt of a valid invoice for the agreed work milestone completed.

Bids must be in PDF, Word, PowerPoint or Excel format.

Bidding Timeline

Deadline for the applications by 5th January 2025.

The remote interviews will follow written submission: 13/14th January 2025.

We will share the outcome: 15th January 2025.

WHAT WE HOPE YOU WILL DO NEXT

If you are talented, passionate about human rights and want to use your skills, knowledge and experience to change the world then we would encourage you to click ‘Apply for this Role’ below.

Freedom, Justice, Equality. Let’s get to work.

N.B. We reserve the right to close a vacancy BEFORE the closing date in the event of an overwhelming response or a change in business priorities, therefore we encourage you to apply now if you are interested.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:

Amnesty International believes in a world that is fair, inclusive and equitable. Together, we’re committed to being an anti-racist organisation with a diverse workforce that can better tackle the global human rights challenges that face our world today. We know that different voices, ideas, perspectives, experiences and knowledge, working together will enable us to better the lives of people around the world.

We are committed to building and sustaining an anti-racist, culturally diverse and inclusive organisation, where all employees feel valued, have a sense of belonging and an equal opportunity to fulfil their potential. We therefore strongly welcome applications from suitably qualified people regardless of their background; including underrepresented groups, LGBTQI+ individuals and those who may have or are living with a disability.

To see our full statement please visit this link: Racial equality, equal opportunities, diversity and inclusion policy – Amnesty International

Amnesty International is committed to being an inclusive employer and providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process for all. If you would like to receive any information in a different way or would like us to do anything differently to help you apply for our roles, please get in touch with the team by [email protected]