Competition law enforcement depends on an effective system of human rights, most obviously the right to property, the right to contract and rights to due legal process. Policies promoting competition between providers can also be effective in supporting human rights more broadly, for example through providing checks on the power of corporations, as well through helping fight corruption in government. However, economic competition itself is occasionally portrayed as harming human rights along with social values, for example through “social dumping" or environmental damage.
In addition, some policies intended to safeguard human rights depend on agreements between suppliers - agreements that might be in conflict with competition law or at least raise the risk or suspicion of being in conflict.
In December 2016, the OECD Global Forum on Competition brought together experts from the competition and human rights policy communities to explore the promoting competition and protection of human rights and ways in which any apparent conflicts between their policy objectives can be resolved.
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