Illicit trade is a serious threat that feeds a booming multi-trillion-dollar global illegal economy and harms every market, puts public health and safety at risk, and upends the rule of law and investment climate. It is a threat multiplier that helps fuel transnational crime, corruption, and greater insecurity and instability around the world.

USCIB’s Anti-Illicit Trade work convenes USCIB member companies representing a range of business and industry sectors. USCIB takes a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach and public-private partnerships, to elevate the fight against illicit trade, particularly related to the work of the OECD, and corresponding activity by Business at OECD (BIAC).

USCIB AITC Chair Jennifer Lane (Amazon), Michael Rousek, AITC Vice Chair Susan Wilson (AITEG Chair), and Emma Brierley (BIAC).

Key issues include:

  • Continue to support the Working Party on Countering Illicit Trade (WP-CIT) under the OECD Trade Committee
  • Online Marketplace Guidelines workstream
  • Non-counterfeit illicit products (NCIPs) workstream
  • Implementation of Free Trade Zones (FTZs) Recommendation; Certification pilots and global rollout
  • Abusive third party-funded litigation

What’s at Stake for US Business

  • Lost tax revenue for governments; lost profits and market share for businesses
  • Intellectual property theft, stolen data, and dis-incentivizes innovation
  • Job displacement for workers and business closures
  • Health and safety threats to consumers
  • Increased costs of doing business overseas
  • Heightened violence and criminality in some markets
  • Diminished brand integrity and market reputational value and
  • Criminal actors that destabilize economies

USCIB Actions

  • At the OECD, engage via Business at OECD (BIAC) on the work of the Working Party on Countering Illicit Trade in efforts to address the threats and barriers tied to illicit trade, promoting strategic alliances.
  • Explore possible synergies with OECD and BIAC and other international associations, non-governmental organizations, and governments to fight illicit trade across markets.
  • In Washington, meet with relevant US government officials to educate them on the work of the AITC particularly with Office of the US Trade Representative, Department of Commerce, Department of Homeland Security, US Customs and Border Protection, Department of State, and US National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center.

Resources

Chair

Jennifer Lane
Senior Public Policy Manager
Amazon

Staff

Michael Rousek
Vice President, Customs & Trade Facilitation
mrousek@uscib.org

Prinaka Suresh
Administrative Assistant, Policy
psuresh@uscib.org

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