Food and Agriculture

Trends and Challenges Facing the Food & Agriculture sector:

  • Responding to rapidly evolving changes in global food systems due to dramatic shifts in climate and demand.
  • The shift away from evidence -based policy responses to meaningful food security and enhanced environmental sustainability.
  • The growing trend to view business as the “problem” and not part of the solution among public and private actors who fail to recognize mutual interests and limitations.

 

 

USCIB’s Response:

  • Advocating for business as a solutions partner in international forums including the OECD Health Committee and OECD Agriculture committee.
  • Showcasing business leadership, investments and innovation at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) as they seek effective policy approaches on food security and nutrition in the context of changing rural-urban dynamics.
  • Calling for public/private partnerships involving all stakeholders to improve transparency and broaden participation to meet the global challenges facing the sustainability of agriculture and food systems.

Magnifying Your Voice with USCIB:

  • USCIB is the only U.S. business association formally affiliated with the world’s three largest business organizations where we work with business leaders across the globe to extend our reach to influence policymakers in key international markets to American business.
  • Build consensus with like-minded industry peers and participate in off-the-record briefings with policymakers both home and abroad.

USCIB on LinkedIn

News Stories

USCIB’s Moving the Needle Creates a Vision for Private Sector Solutions for SDGs, More Effective UN (7/20/2023) - During the first week of the UN High Level Political Forum, USCIB’s Moving the Needle (MTN) Initiative convened a side…

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USCIB Team Hosts MTN Roundtable on Solidarity in Doha During LDC5  (3/23/2023) - USCIB was on the ground in Doha for the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) and to…

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Chair

Randy Giroux
Vice President, Global Regulatory Leader
Cargill

Staff

Norine Kennedy
Senior Vice President, Policy and Global Strategy
212-703-5052 or nkennedy@uscib.org

Ashley Harrington
Policy and Program Assistant
202-682-5861 or aharrington@uscib.org

 

Health Care

Trends and Challenges Facing the Health Care Sector:

  • Global health issues have risen to the top of the agenda as policymakers struggle to ensure the best quality health care at an affordable price
  • The digital transformation of health care systems provides fresh opportunities for better care, newer treatments, and greater focus on the needs of the patient
  • Non-communicable diseases harm the growth and productivity of the economy and the well-being of societies

USCIB’s Response:

  • Advocate for multi-stakeholder initiatives and the central role of science- and evidence-based data in developing policy
  • Press for policies at the OECD that create the right incentives and collaborative environments to drive investment in innovation and technology
  • Advance voluntary consumer initiatives, responsible marketing, and healthy lifestyles

Magnifying Your Voice with USCIB:

  • USCIB is the only U.S. business association formally affiliated with the world’s three largest business organizations where we work with business leaders across the globe to extend our reach to influence policymakers in key international markets to American business
  • Build consensus with like-minded industry peers and participate in off-the-record briefings with policymakers both home and abroad.

USCIB on LinkedIn

News Stories

USCIB Joined Multi-Association Letter Opposing Expansion of WTO TRIPS Waiver  (3/6/2024) - USCIB co-signed a multi-association letter to the Biden Administration at the end of February strongly opposing the proposed expansion of…

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The 13th WTO Ministerial Conference Falls Short But Delivers Some Wins for Industry (3/5/2024) - Renewal of e-commerce moratorium and intellectual property rights secured New York, N.Y., March 04, 2024—The United States Council for International…

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Staff

Ashley Harrington
Policy and Program Assistant
202-682-5861 or aharrington@uscib.org

 

International Product Policy

Trends and Challenges Facing Upstream and Downstream Users of Chemicals:

  • Unbalanced requirements that can undermine market access and related industry initiatives
  • The UN Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) will be focusing on the sound management of chemicals and waste beyond 2020
  • New chemicals regulations that are inconsistent with existing guidelines and are therefore unnecessarily burdensome to companies
USCIB Staff and Members Attending INC-2 at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France.

USCIB’s Response:

  • Advocate for product and chemicals policies in forums such as the UN and the OECD that reflect good science, protect confidential business information, and avoid technical barriers to trade to ensure that U.S. products have timely access to markets around the world
  • Ensure industry views are well represented at SAICM to press for risk-based assessments of chemicals
  • Serve as the lead voice for U.S. business in forums such as APEC pushing for regulatory coherence between differing chemicals management regimes

Magnifying Your Voice with USCIB:

  • USCIB is the only U.S. business association formally affiliated with the world’s three largest business organizations where we work with business leaders across the globe to extend our reach to influence policymakers in key international markets to American business
  • Build consensus with like-minded industry peers and participate in off-the-record briefings with policymakers both home and abroad.

USCIB on LinkedIn

News Stories

USCIB Represents US Business at 6th Session of the UN Environment Assembly   (3/6/2024) - The 6th Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) concluded on March 1 in Nairobi, Kenya. After extensive and,…
USCIB Delegation at UN Talks on Plastic Pollution Stresses Critical Role of Business to Identify Innovation and Implementation Opportunities (11/29/2023) - USCIB and its members were engaged throughout the third session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally…

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Press Releases

USCIB Encourages Biden Environmental Nominees to Engage on Multilateral Issues (12/21/2020) - New York, N.Y., December 18, 2020: The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) issued a statement today by its…
USCIB Welcomes Michael Michener as Vice President of Product Policy and Innovation (2/21/2017) - The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) announced that Michael Michener, a former administrator of the U.S. Foreign Agricultural…

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Chair

Sophia Danenberg
Manager, Environmental Health and Safety
Regulatory Program
The Boeing Company

Staff

Christopher Olsen
Policy Manager, Regulation and Trade
202-617-3156 or colsen@uscib.org

Ashley Harrington
Policy and Program Assistant
202-682-5861 or aharrington@uscib.org

 

Intellectual Property

Trends and Challenges Facing U.S. Business:

  • Intellectual property is one of the central public policy pillars for the rapidly changing knowledge-based 21st century economy
  • Intellectual property rights provide an increasingly critical legal and policy toolkit for spurring innovation, stimulating the investments needed to develop and market new innovations, creating jobs and disseminating technology and knowledge in socially beneficial ways
L-R: John Sandage (WIPO) and Paul Salmon (USPTO) at the October 18 launch of USCIB’s Intellectual Property and Innovation Committee

USCIB’s Response:

  • Promote strong global rules to protect U.S. intellectual property
  • Advocate for IP language in trade agreements that establishes a robust and effective intellectual property framework to promote innovation
  • Protect from disclosure commercially sensitive and propriety information and documents required by governments under law or regulation

Magnifying Your Voice with USCIB:

  • USCIB is the only U.S. business association formally affiliated with the world’s three largest business organizations where we work with business leaders across the globe to extend our reach to influence policymakers in key international markets to American business
  • Build consensus with like-minded industry peers and participate in off-the-record briefings with policymakers both home and abroad.

USCIB on LinkedIn

News Stories

USCIB Joined Multi-Association Letter Opposing Expansion of WTO TRIPS Waiver  - USCIB co-signed a multi-association letter to the Biden Administration at the end of February strongly opposing the proposed expansion of…
The 13th WTO Ministerial Conference Falls Short But Delivers Some Wins for Industry - Renewal of e-commerce moratorium and intellectual property rights secured New York, N.Y., March 04, 2024—The United States Council for International…

Read More

Press Releases

The 13th WTO Ministerial Conference Falls Short But Delivers Some Wins for Industry (3/5/2024) - Renewal of e-commerce moratorium and intellectual property rights secured New York, N.Y., March 04, 2024—The United States Council for International…
Temperatures Soared in Geneva and So Did the WTO! (6/17/2022) - Washington D.C., June 17, 2022—Despite a shaky start, the WTO negotiators delivered a historic trade deal this morning. After hours…

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Chair

Vacant

Staff

Brian Lowry
Senior Counsel
202-617-3159 or blowry@uscib.org

Staff

Ashley Harrington
Policy and Program Assistant
202-682-5861 or aharrington@uscib.org

 

APEC Working Group

Trends and Challenges Companies Face in the Asia Pacific region:

  • By 2030, two-thirds of all middle-class consumers will be in Asia, making this region a priority for U.S. companies to gain open and fair access to markets in the Asia-Pacific.
  • See here for our 2024 APEC Priority Issues and Recommendations Paper.
  • Comprising of 21 member economies, which account for approximately 40 percent of the world’s population and over 50 percent of world’s GDP and half of the world’s trade, APEC is the top economic forum in the region that actively encourages economic growth, regional cooperation and trade and investment.

USCIB’s Response:

  • Supports members’ interests within APEC and welcomes committed partnerships that APEC has established with the private sector to engage with participatory economies in addressing the complex economic issues that face the region.
  • Works through APEC to maintain connections with business and governments in the region to pursue initiatives that can improve market access and greater regulatory compatibility for our members.
  • Advocates for policies which encourage APEC economies to maintain an open trade and investment environment and eliminate non-tariff barriers across borders.
  • Collaborates with other USCIB committees on areas of USCIB priority and expertise within APEC, including chemicals, e-commerce, customs, marketing and advertising and global value chains.
  • Convenes issue-specific events and meetings with high-level government officials to discuss member priorities and APEC meetings and outcomes.
  • Facilitates business input into APEC through four main channels: U.S. APEC Business Coalition, APEC Business Advisory Council (through the National Center for APEC — NCAPEC), International Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Government.

Magnifying Your Voice with USCIB:

  • USCIB is the only U.S. business association formally affiliated with the world’s three largest business organizations where we work with business leaders across the globe to extend our reach to influence policymakers in key international markets to American business.
  • Build consensus with like-minded industry peers and participate in off-the-record briefings with policymakers both home and abroad.

USCIB on LinkedIn

Positions and Statements

USCIB Issues 2024 Priorities and Recommendations for APEC (2/29/2024) - USCIB has issued this year’s priorities and recommendations that USCIB and its members would like to see advanced in the…
USCIB Supports Strengthening Trade, Investment, Economic Ties in Indo-Pacific (2/23/2022) - USCIB was among a dozen other trade associations in submitting a letter to the Biden Administration welcoming the launch of…

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News Stories

USCIB Issues 2024 Priorities and Recommendations for APEC (2/29/2024) - USCIB has issued this year’s priorities and recommendations that USCIB and its members would like to see advanced in the…
USCIB Welcomes Korean Business Colleagues for Discussion on ILO, Labor and Trade issues (4/13/2022) - Kyung Shik Sohn, chairman of CJ Group and of the Korea Enterprises Federation-FEK (and also Honorary Chairman of the Korean…

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Press Releases

USCIB Announces New Policy Leadership (2/3/2021) - Brian Lowry New York, N.Y., February 01, 2021: The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) announced that Brian Lowry,…

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USCIB Commends Phase 1 China Deal, Urges Further Negotiations (1/15/2020) - China continues to be an important market for U.S. business, and we recognize the progress on food and agricultural export…

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Staff

Christopher Olsen
Policy Manager, Regulation and Trade
202-617-3156 or colsen@uscib.org

Staff

Ashley Harrington
Policy and Program Assistant
202-682-5861 or aharrington@uscib.org

 

Focus Turns to Global Food Security as Commodity Supplies Destabilize by War in Ukraine

According to USCIB Senior Vice President for Regulation, Innovation and Trade Brian Lowry, the focus in the United States last week shifted from sanctioning Russia toward urgently addressing global food insecurity caused by the war in Ukraine.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken convened a high-level UN Global Food Security Ministerial Meeting on May 18, bringing together approximately thirty-five countries to discuss ways to stave off global food shortages linked to the conflict in Ukraine, which is potentially impacting forty million people, according to the World Bank. The U.S. issued a fact sheet calling for Days of Action on Global Food Security and Blinken provided a statement outlining objectives for the ministerial meeting. Ministers ultimately produced a Roadmap for Global Food Security-Call to Action, a commitment to act urgently to address global food security and nutritional needs as well as strengthen resilient and “inclusive” food systems in line the objectives of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals and the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit.

That same day, multiple International Financial Institutions (IFI) released the IFI Action Plan to Address Food Insecurity, a program of financing, policy engagement, technical assistance, and know-how developed by the by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group to address food insecurity. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen commended the release May 18 as the Action Plan was conceptualized at a meeting she convened with the international financial institutions in April.

The G7 joined the World Bank Group to announce on May 19 the launch of the Global Alliance for Food Security to support work on food security at the UN and other international institutions.  The Alliance will leverage existing institutions and programs to develop a short-term response to shortages in food, fertilizer, and fuel and work together to remove trade barriers and provide the support needed to alleviate the negative impacts of the war.

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) of which USCIB is unique affiliate, called on G7 governments on May 19 to spearhead efforts to provide logistical supports – humanitarian sea corridors, rail and road land routes – sanctions carve-outs, and risk guarantees to restore trade in Ukrainian grains and vegetable oils and Russian fertilizers. Ukraine and Russia had been major exporters of wheat, sunflower oil and fertilizers, creating a trade a gap today that cannot be readily filled. This is consistent with recent messaging from UN Secretary General António Guterres to reopen the Black Sea to agricultural shipments from Ukraine.

Similarly, the G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governor’s released a communique May 20 expressing support for Ukraine and a commitment to help close short-term financing gaps and ensure its macro-economic stability. They pledged continued coordinated action to isolate Russia and Belarus from the global economy through economic and financial sanctions, to prevent sanctions evasion and backfilling and to support the ongoing work of the Russian Elites, Proxies and Oligarchs Task Force.

According to USCIB, there is no doubt that additional sanctions are in the offing, as the G7 Foreign Ministers released a statement May 14 affirming continued coordinated actions against Russia and in support of Ukraine. They pledged to continue working together to pressure Russia with future economic and financial restrictions on sectors that Russia depends on, and by imposing penalties on Russian elites, institutions and military. In fact, the United States has already resumed punitive actions this week.

Lowry Testifies at Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force Hearing on the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act

The Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF), as required by the Uyghur Forced labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), held a public hearing on the Use of Forced Labor in the People’s Republic of China and Measures to Prevent the Importation of Goods Produced, Mined, or Manufactured, Wholly or in Part, with Forced Labor in the People’s Republic of China into the United States. On behalf of the FLETF, the hearing was led by the Department of Homeland Security, which also issued the Federal Register Notice requesting comments on UFLPA, and coordinated and moderated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Over 400 participants and sixty speakers joined from a wide array of groups, including, but not limited to U.S. trade associations (including USCIB), foreign trade associations, labor organizations, other governments, victims, private citizens and even faith-based groups.

USCIB Senior Vice President, Innovation, Regulation, and Trade Brian Lowry was among those speakers and provided testimony on behalf of USCIB members to highlight that, “Business is a committed, willing, and necessary partner in the global fight to eradicate forced labor from their supply chains.”

“We believe that application of the rebuttable presumption should be coordinated under a singular approach consistent with Section 307 enforcement,” added Lowry. “CBP’s current process for the detention or release of goods believed to be linked to forced labor is opaque and undermines the very concept of partnership that CBP has historically maintained with the Trade. It fails to effectively leverage businesses’ capacity to deter the offending behavior, as well as, long held and internationally accepted principles related to transparency, stakeholder engagement and remedy.”

Lowry encouraged the FLETF to adopt USCIB’s Withhold Release Order process proposal which would improve CBP’s enforcement process; enhance compliance consistent with the requirements of Section 307; increase transparency; encourage greater collaboration with the trade community; and expedite shipment clearance.

While there will be a transcript of the event made available, Lowry’s full testimony is available here.

USCIB continues to welcome the opportunity to work with the FLETF and CBP to effectively implement the UFLPA.

USCIB Staff Meet With New Zealand Ambassador; Discuss Trade and Investment Agenda

Left to right: Hannah Lee-Darboe, Ambassador Rosemary Banks, Peter Robinson

USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson welcomed New Zealand Ambassador Rosemary Banks and her New York-based colleague the New Zealand Consul General and Trade Commissioner Hannah Lee-Darboe to USCIB’s New York office on November 15.

Robinson was joined by USCIB Senior Vice President Brian Lowry and Senior Director Alice Slayton Clark, both of whom tuned into the meeting remotely from USCIB’s Midwest and Washington, DC, offices, respectively.

“We greatly welcomed the opportunity to meet with Ambassador Banks and her colleague, who were interested in discussing perspectives on economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and future U.S. trade policy directions,” said Robinson. “We stressed our interest in and commitment to revitalizing the trade and investment agenda, specifically at the Asia-Pacific regional level, and more broadly at the multilateral level with a stronger World Trade Organization. My colleagues and I also provided insights into the divergent U.S. public views on trade depending on geographic location, political views and direct personal relevance of international trade.”

USCIB staff also expressed general appreciation for New Zealand’s role as host of APEC in 2021 and its global leadership in the trade space.

Lowry Discusses Role of WTO in Digital Revolution of Agriculture at WTO Public Forum Event

USCIB Senior Vice President for Innovation, Regulation and Trade Brian Lowry gave remarks at a World Trade Organization (WTO) Public Forum side-event on “Digital Services and Green Transition: A Promising Alliance that Needs an Incentive Multilateral Regulatory Framework.” The September 29th event, held in Geneva, was organized in partnership by USCIB, ICC France and Afed (the Association of French Large companies).

Lowry was joined by other prestigious speakers including the Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the WTO and Chairperson for the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment Ambassador Manuel Teehankee, Permanent Representative of Singapore to the WTO and Co-Chair of the Joint Initiative Statement (JIS) on e-commerce negotiating committee Ambassador Tan Hung Seng, the Deputy Director General of the WTO Jean-Marie Paugam and ICC’s Representative Director in Geneva Crispin Conroy.

Lowry discussed how digital tools can help mitigate risk and make farming more rewarding for all farmers—whether smallholders in developing countries or large-scale farms in the United States or Brazil.

“Digital farming can turn field, weather and agronomic data into insights that help address climate change and sustainable productivity,” said Lowry.

“However, this digital revolution does nothing if farmers do not have access to it. Whether it is the smallholder farmer in Africa or a large landowner in Argentina, the WTO can help by supporting market access for the technology and addressing data protection, the cross-boundary data interchange for both access and analysis, and the need for standards and disciplines for a carbon mechanism that promotes consistency and integrity,” added Lowry.

USCIB Hosts A Conversation About the Future of Food

On the eve of the United Nations Food Systems and Nutrition Summit on September 23, USCIB convened a virtual event—The Future of Food: A Conversation— with experts and practitioners from across societal, scientific, value chain and innovation perspectives.

The September 21 event highlighted the need for and successful examples of innovation across the food and agriculture industry, the roles and relevance of collaborative approaches to innovation, and how shared value and understanding can hold the key to future opportunities.

Facilitated by USCIB Senior Vice President for Innovation, Regulation, and Trade Brian Lowry, the event was convened around the premise that in order to feed a growing population within planetary boundaries—considering amount of global climate emissions linked to agriculture and food—leaders must rethink how food, and especially protein, is made and sourced. Transforming the food system is not a solitary task; industry must come together and find new ways to collaborate and partner, and new alternatives must be created in a complementary manner.

Expert speakers included USCIB member Dr. Randal Giroux of Cargill, who also chairs the USCIB Agriculture Committee, as well as Valerio Nannini, Novozymes general manager for Novozymes Advanced Proteins Solutions. Other experts included Christine Gould, founder and president of Food for Thought, and The Good Food Institute Vice President, Corporate Engagement Caroline Bushnell.

Together, these experts discussed how industry is responding through strategy, science, and sustainability; the types of complementary solutions that are under development within value chains, and how new ways of thinking and working together can be applied to support such efforts; the views of younger generations and how younger consumers are changing the landscape around the sustainable food revolution; and how we can incorporate alternative sources of food and proteins into the future of sustainable farming and how to factor in climate change, and subsequently, climate action.

In closing, Lowry said, “Welcome to the starting line of what is clearly and important race  – a marathon – to transform the global food system.  I am thrilled to be at the start of this marathon with such an impressive and passionate group of people. People who do not want to watch it happen, but want to make it happen.”