Thai Business Engagement Consultancy for the FAIR Fish Project

Terms of Reference

Thai Business Engagement Consultancy for the FAIR Fish Project **

1. About Plan International

We strive to advance children’s rights and equality for girls all over the world. As an independent development and humanitarian organization we work alongside children, young people, our supporters and partners to tackle the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood and enable children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge. For over 80 years we have been building powerful partnerships for children, and we are active in over 75 countries.

The Fostering Accountability in Recruitment for Fishery Workers Project (FAIR Fish) is an effort to reduce forced labor and human trafficking in the seafood-processing sectors of Thailand. The project is supported by the Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking (OCFT) at the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), United States Department of Labor (USDOL). The FAIR Fish project is led by Plan International, an NGO with expertise in addressing forced labor (FL), human trafficking (HT) and child labor (CL) among fishers and seafood processors in Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Project implementation started in January 2019 and will end in December 2022.

2. Background

The FAIR Fish Project aims to improve Thai seafood-processing SMEs’ awareness about the relationship between expanded export opportunities and buyers’ expectations regarding supplier compliance with laws, regulations and codes of conduct related to human/labor rights. Thai seafood-processing SMEs will also gain an understanding about how compliance with laws, regulations and codes of conduct related to human/labor rights can benefit their business. To accomplish this the FAIR Fish project will introduce the FAIR Fish Responsible Recruitment Model (FAIR Fish RRM) to Thai seafood-processing SMEs through the distribution of a Pilot Model Manual and the promotion of an online FAIR Fish RRM course.

The project will also organize and support webinars between Thai seafood-processing SMEs and international buyers of Thai seafood products in the US, Europe and Australia. During the webinars, representatives of seafood-processing SMEs and international buyers can directly share their experience and expectations regarding human rights, due diligence and responsible recruitment in the value chain of seafood products. **

3. Objective

The project is looking for an individual consultant in Thailand to support our effort to engage with seafood processing businesses, in particular those that are small and medium-sized enterprises, or those hiring from 5 to 200 employees. The consultant is expected to have good and broad professional connections within the network of seafood processing business operators in Thailand.

4. Tasks

4.1 Identify at least 15 seafood processing SMEs in Thailand for potential engagement with the FAIR Fish Project (April 2022).

4.2 Through virtual meetings with the management of the 15 seafood processors,

collect and document:

a) products exported from Thailand;

b) practices and processes related to their export of Thai seafood-related products;

c) their understanding about the principles of business and human rights in responsible recruitment, and how this impacts their business

d) their understanding about their international customers’ human rights due diligence process, and how this impacts their business, and;

e) their understanding about their international customers’ expectations regarding suppliers’ recruitment practices (May-June 2022), and how this impacts their business

Invite the 15 buyers/importers to participate in a series of three webinars

between buyers/importers of Thai seafood-related products and Thai seafood-

processing SMEs. Carry out engagement, contacting and support necessary to convince at least four seafood processors to attend each webinar. The focus of the webinars will be the buyers and importers expectations related to human rights due diligence and responsible recruitment, and how that can benefit Thai seafood-processing SMEs. The tentative schedule is to hold one webinar in July, August and September 2022.

Disseminate communication materials to inform targeted seafood processors in Thailand about the FAIR Fish Project, the FAIR Fish responsible recruitment model, the FAIR FISH online course, webinars, forced labor and human trafficking (May – October 2022).

5. Timeline

• Collect information on seafood processors’ export profiles. Consultant working with support from the FAIR Fish team / 5 days in April 2022.
• Engage seafood processors in Thailand . Consultant working with support from the FAIR Fish team / 30 days in May’ 2022.
  -Invite seafood processors to participate in a series of three webinars and support the organization of the webinars. /15 days July – Sep’ 2022.
• Disseminate communication materials. Consultant with support from the FAIR Fish team./ 11 days in May – Oct’ 2022.

6. Deliverables/Outputs

6.1 A report on the profiles of 15 selected seafood processors in Thailand with information stated in 4.2. The profile template will be provided by the FAIR Fish Project.

6.2 Invitation list (with email addresses) of tentative participants for each of the three webinars.

6.3 List of confirmed attendees (with email addresses) for each of the three webinars.

7. Expected qualifications:

a. The consultant should have background knowledge on the following topics:

• business and human rights, and

• responsible recruitment

b. Well connected to seafood processing business operators in Thailand

c. Fluent in Thai (spoken, written and reading)

d. Professional working proficiency in English (spoken, written and reading).

e. Able to work independently and remotely in a fast-paced environment.

f. Experience in collecting and documenting secondary data via desk reviews as well as primary data via virtual interviews.

g. Strong interpersonal communication and writing skills.

h. Comfortable and confident in interacting with businesses and the managerial staff of businesses.

i. Experience with virtual event planning and administrative duties.

j. Comfortable working from home and regularly communicating through Outlook, Microsoft Team, Skype or Zoom.

k. Good team player.

8. *Ethics and Child Protection ***

Plan International is committed to ensuring that the rights of those participating in data collection or analysis are respected and protected in accordance with our Ethical MERL Framework and our Child and Youth Safeguarding Policy.