Brian Lowry Archives

USCIB Opposes Stringent Chemicals Regulations in China

Published on July 30, 2015

Test_tubesOn July 30, USCIB submitted comments to China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection expressing concern with draft language in China’s recently revised guidance on new chemical substances. New language suggests that any new chemical substance in an article that could potentially result in exposure to the environment or humans will be subject to full chemical notification obligations.

USCIB noted that this new requirement would be unnecessarily burdensome, imposing exorbitant costs on importers of articles. Importers would face challenges in obtaining information about the presence of chemicals in articles in order to assess potential compliance. This requirement would be imposed even if there is no corresponding benefit to the protection of human health or the environment.

“In others countries, chemical registration or new chemical notification requirements are much more limited with respect to chemicals in articles,” said Helen Medina, USCIB’s vice president for product policy and innovation. “It is not technically or economically feasible to test every article for every chemical that might be contained in each article.”

USCIB members support efforts to protect human health and the environment, and comply with a variety of national regulations including those specific to chemicals.  For this reason, USCIB is actively engaged in the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM), chemicals and green economy discussions at the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and chemicals deliberations at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) chemical dialogue.

Business Prepares for OECD Health Ministerial on Next-Gen Health Reforms

Published on June 29, 2015
Helen Medina (USCIB)
Helen Medina (USCIB)

In the wake of the financial crisis, global health issues, such as the rising cost of medicines and the need for health reform, have risen to the top of the global agenda as policymakers struggle to insure the best quality healthcare at an affordable price. As the OECD gears up for its Health Ministerial in 2017, USCIB and the Business and Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC) to the OECD are providing industry input ahead of an expected high-level declaration that will guide governments’ future health priorities.

Helen Medina, USCIB’s vice president for product policy and innovation, attended BIAC and OECD Health Committee meetings in Paris this week to prepare formal comments for the OECD Workshop on High-Cost Medicines. She also attended a BIAC strategy session on June 22 to prepare for the 2017 OECD Health Ministerial, the theme of which is “The Next Generation of Health Reforms.” At the meeting attendees discussed their work on obesity and nutrition, to be presented at an upcoming meeting OECD Health Committee secretariat.

“The OECD’s work on healthcare issues often mirrors World Health Organization priorities,” Medina said. “Because there are limited opportunities for business to engage with the WHO, our engagement with the OECD is especially important as it allows industry to provide expertise and information into the policymaking process that otherwise would not be heard.”

Participants at the BIAC Health Committee meeting agreed that with healthcare issues at the forefront of the global agenda, it is important that the OECD’s work reflects a balanced and holistic approach to dealing with healthcare challenges as the organization gears up for the Health Ministerial in January 2017. The BIAC meeting produced alignment on industry messages on the various OECD projects which could impact industry sectors such as pharmaceuticals, alcohol, beverages, and food. In addition, a task force was created to prepare for the 2017 Health Ministerial.

OECD Workshop on High-Cost Medicines

To provide input for the upcoming 2017 Health Ministerial, the OECD Health Committee organized the “Workshop on High-Cost Medicines” on June 24 to encourage dialogue between governments, experts and the industry on access to effective medicines. Attendees talked about the need to maintain the financial sustainability of health systems while also steering innovation in the pharmaceutical industry. Given that OECD governments are increasingly challenged by the expanding costs of healthcare, the workshop explained how the pharmaceutical industry’s business models impact health sector spending. Industry experts discussed how governments can encourage the right innovation in pharmaceutical care to better respond to unmet medical needs.

Business delivered the following key messages to policymakers during the workshop:

  • Innovative medicines improve patients’ lives;
  • Assessing the value of medicines requires a holistic approach;
  • Innovation requires investment in health;
  • Innovation can deliver significant patient and societal value;
  • A “whole health system” approach is needed to maximize efficiencies;
  • Multi-sectoral partnerships can help address access and affordability.

 

Private Sector Perspective on Food Security Challenges

Published on May 14, 2015

28 July 2006, Rome - A general view of FAO Headquarters.USCIB and its members participated in bilateral meetings that included close to 60 countries at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) this week to discuss business priorities on food security, agriculture trade and other nutrition issues. This year’s meeting of the Private Sector Mechanism marked the most diverse industry delegation yet, with participants spanning over 16 countries across five continents, representing the entire agriculture value chain.

The Private Sector Mechanism is a network that coordinates input from business into the UN Committee on World Food Security. This year’s group includes representatives from USCIB members including Monsanto, The Coca-Cola Company, Mead Johnson and the Grocery Manufacturers Association.

“These meetings are great because companies are able to have a real intimate conversations with governments about the programs and/or partnership they have in place to address issues affecting food security and nutrition,” said Helen Medina, USCIB’s vice president for product policy and innovation. “Often government officials are not aware of how the private sector is already engaged. These talks not only inform the policy discussion but also spark ideas on how the private sector can further work with governments in mutually beneficial manner. These dialogues are a crucial to building relationships and trust so that we can work together to combat global hunger and nutrition challenges.”

Industry representatives also discussed possible side events at the UN Committee on Food Security (CFS) to be held in October related to empowering women in agriculture and supply chains and the important linkages between trade and food security.

During the CFS there is an opportunity for a broad cross-section of stakeholders to come together to address the barriers to women’s productive participation in food supply chains and entrepreneurship in an integrated way. The proposed event would convene relevant organizations – including members of the FAO’s Private Sector Mechanism, local country delegates, NGOs, academics, and intergovernmental organizations – in a roundtable discussion focused on “Women, Farmers, Entrepreneurs, Mothers: Solutions at Nexus of Agriculture, Nutrition and Gender.” The goal of this session will be to identify proven solutions, explore collaboration and establish leadership in this field.

In addition, USCIB and other industry groups hope to showcase the benefits of trade and to explain that trade is an important component of the agriculture and food system. Opening up global, regional and national trading opportunities for small- and medium-scale producers will be key to addressing the challenges related to food security and nutrition, particularly in developing countries.

BIAC: OECD Alcohol Study Misses the Mark

Published on May 13, 2015

biac-logo-cutThe Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD commended the OECD’s focus on health matters, but said the OECD study on Tackling Harmful Alcohol Use: Economics and Public Health Policy missed an opportunity, saying the report struggles to offer a comprehensive analysis of the reasons and the solutions for alcohol-related harm.

“We need to know more about the effectiveness of policies and innovative solutions that support the health of our people and workforce”, said BIAC Secretary General Bernhard Welschke.

USCIB member DISCUS, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, also released a following statement on the OECD alcohol report.

BIAC said its members appreciate the challenge to come to conclusions with a limited set of data and projections, but added that it is important not to jump to narrow conclusions, such as the emphasis on prices, by increasing taxes and setting minimum prices, and greater regulation of advertising as a way to reduce harmful consumption.

In fact, governments and societies need to develop a deeper understanding of the factors that lead to abuse of alcohol and the education and prevention programs designed to curb its incidence that need involvement of all sectors. This was at the heart of recommendations from the BIAC membership that were conveyed to the OECD.

BIAC will continue to facilitate the dialogue on policies and initiatives that allow industry to be a partner in the fight against harmful consumption of alcohol. Industry has been a leader in initiatives to reduce the incidence of underage and binge drinking, and campaigns to improve road safety efforts, among others.

“BIAC is committed to continue its close cooperation with the OECD to consider the serious and widespread efforts business itself is undertaking to prevent the abuse of alcohol and to promote healthy lifestyles,” said Welschke.

 

USCIB Calls for Business Engagement on World Health at HHS

Published on May 8, 2015

health_care_globe_lo-resAhead of the World Health Assembly later this month where the World Health Organization (WHO) will deliberate on its Framework for Engagement with Non-State Actors, USCIB attended a stakeholder listening session at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in D.C. to urge the United States government to fight against business discrimination in the WHO’s framework.

Helen Medina, USCIB’s vice president for product policy and innovation, spoke at an HHS listening session held to solicit knowledge, ideas and feedback from all stakeholders – including private industry – as the U.S. positions itself to negotiate with other countries at the upcoming World Health Assembly.

USCIB previously stated its concern that the proposed WHO Framework for Engagement with Non-State Actors is too stringent, as it would limit the WHO’s ability to fully benefit from the private sector’s practical expertise, resources and research. The sheer scale of global health challenges, such as the recent Ebola crises and the growing incidences of non-communicable diseases which are responsible for 60 percent of the world’s premature deaths, require everyone to be on board to address world health, including business.

“We must bring forward and catalyze partnerships that connect across what many call the ‘Golden Triangle’ of business, government and civil society,” Medina said at the HHS listening session. “For this reason, we are extremely concerned about aspects of the recently proposed Framework. As currently drafted, it will undermine the ‘Golden Triangle’ concept by discriminating against and even banning business.”

USCIB called on American negotiators headed to the World Health Assembly to consider the following messages:

  • The WHO framework should not explicitly ban industry sectors or tread industry NGOs differently from others
  • It should apply the same rules of transparency to address conflict of interest for all non-state actors
  • And it should not discriminate against or reclassify organizations that cooperate with business

Read Medina’s remarks.

USCIB Leads Business Interests in UNEP Chemicals Program

Published on April 10, 2015

Test_tubesUSCIB lead a multi-industry association effort urging the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to make its Chemicals in Products (CiP) program initiative attractive to business.

“Many global industry sectors have well-established systems for suppliers to communicate relevant information on chemicals in products that they place on the market,” USCIB and other business associations said in a statement. “It is recognized that such systems, however, may not yet be fully realized or internalized in many developing nations. This poses the biggest challenge to standardizing global approaches on chemicals.”

Central to the modern economy, chemicals are traded widely across borders and are used in the production of thousands of different products, from pharmaceuticals to computer microchips.

The International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM) is an inter-governmental ministerial that convenes UN member delegates and stakeholders for discussions on chemicals management. Adopted by ICCM in 2006, the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) is a policy framework aimed to foster the safe and sound management of chemicals. SAICM’s Chemicals in Products (CiP) program a voluntary initiative designed to give guidance on how to share relevant information on chemicals in products along the supply chain and throughout their life cycle.

In a letter submitted to UNEP, USCIB and nine other industry associations noted that in order for the Chemicals in Products (CiP) to achieve its objectives, it should acknowledge the array of existing company, industry and regional systems and programs for communicating reliable, relevant information on chemicals contained in products that are placed on the market.

USCIB will continue to monitor work on SAICM and provide regular updates to members. Medina will attend the fourth International Conference on Chemicals Management in September 2015.

New ICC Report Sheds Light on How to Combat Counterfeit Products

Published on March 27, 2015

4989_image002The Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP) initiative – a project of the International Chamber of Commerce – released a study outlining the steps that intermediaries can take to help keep fake and pirated products out of the supply chain and off the Internet.

The report, “Roles and responsibilities of intermediaries: Fighting counterfeiting and piracy in the supply chain,” looks at key intermediaries in the physical world and those providing infrastructure and services online, yielding the most comprehensive review to date of the many types of intermediary channels that are being utilized by criminal networks to sell and distribute fakes and pirated content.

“Trade is being revolutionized by the emergence of integrated global value chains and the explosion of online commerce,” said Jeff Hardy, director of BASCAP.

Hardy added: “Intermediaries – from express shipping firms through to online search engines – are now a central part of the global economy. This is an overwhelmingly positive development, but intermediaries must ensure they have adequate systems in place to address growing counterfeiting and piracy risks.”

Read more at the ICC’s website.

USCIB Cautions Against WHO Motion to Ban Chemicals

Published on February 27, 2015

chemicals_globe_lo-resThe World Health Organization recently urged the United Nations Commission on Narcotic drugs to ban two chemical substances commonly found in electronics, telecommunications and other products following findings that these substances can be used for illicit purposes.

USCIB and its membership appreciate the WHO’s concern regarding the misuse of these two chemicals, 1,4-butanedio (BDO) and gamma-butyrolactone (GBL). However, in a submission last week to the Federal Register Notice to help inform the U.S. government on the issue, USCIB urged the FDA to consider the potential adverse economic impact of banning the use or restricting the manufacturing of those substances.

“GBL and BDO are high-volume industrial chemicals with multiple uses that touch nearly every part of the economy,” USCIB wrote in a statement. “The chemical industry takes significant steps to educate its customers and coordinate with regulators and law enforcement authorities to help prevent diversion and misuse of its products.”

Furthermore, the industries that manufacture and use BDO and GBL have adopted product stewardship programs that supplement the requirements of existing laws.

Banning these substances entirely would hurt a wide range of U.S. industries. Given the critical importance of GBL and BDO to the U.S. economy, the product stewardship programs that are in place to help prevent the misuses of these substances and the potentially devastating impacts of listing under the Psychotropic Convention, USCIB urges the U.S. Government to oppose listing these chemicals under the Convention.

 

USCIB Adds Business Voice in Fight Against NCDs

Published on February 11, 2015

WHO_hq_lo-resUSCIB submitted comments to the World Health Organization (WHO) on February 6 stressing the role business plays in combating malnutrition and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs). NCDs are responsible for over 60 percent of the world’s premature deaths, according to the WHO.

Last year the WHO established the Global Coordination Mechanism on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases, an intergovernmental body designed to coordinate activities and multi-stakeholder engagement across sectors as the WHO works toward implementing an Action Plan on NCDs.

“We believe that the private sector has a legitimate role to play in working with the WHO, its Members States and civil society to curb NCDs,” wrote Helen Medina, USCIB’s senior director for product policy and innovation in a submission co-signed by the International Organization of Employers, “and it wants to be part of the solution.”

The submission noted that all companies have an interest in ensuring they have a healthy and resilient workforce, and for that reason the private sector must be included in policy discussions about how to best address NCDs. USCIB reiterated its messages that self-regulation can play a constructive role, public-private partnerships are an effective response to global health challenges and taxes on various foods and beverages have negative, unintended consequences, especially for societies’ poorest consumers.

The submission also included examples from USCIB member companies of business initiatives aimed at improving global health, such as The Coca-Cola Company’s support of the “Exercise is Medicine” program, which encourages doctors to include exercise when designing treatment plans for patients. Also, Nestlé’s Healthy Kids Global Program is a partnership initiative aimed at raising nutrition knowledge and promoting physical activity among school-age children. The program reached almost seven million children in 68 countries at the end of 2013. And Pfizer has supported a pilot project in China called “Healthy Heart – New Life,” focused on developing work-related healthcare services to address chronic disease.

 

Inclusive Growth in Asia-Pacific: USCIB Rolls Out 2015 APEC Agenda

Published on January 26, 2015

4942_image002The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum is the most influential high-level dialogue in the region. APEC convenes heads of state, business leaders and economic experts from 21 Pacific-Rim economies to share their views on how to promote free trade, innovation, growth and integration in the region.

The Philippines is the 2015 host economy, and it has organized APEC’s three Senior Officials’ Meetings and the APEC CEO Summit around the theme of “Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World.”

USCIB will be representing American business interests at the APEC meetings throughout the year. With our global network that includes the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the International Organization of Employers (IOE), and our membership in the U.S.-APEC Business Coalition, USCIB is uniquely positioned to give its members access to the policy dialogues taking place in one of the most dynamic regions of the world.

USCIB issued its “2015 APEC Priority Issues and Recommendations” in November outlining our longstanding and overarching objectives of promoting open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility. Covering a wide range of issues from chemical regulations to trade facilitation to women in the economy, USCIB will work to advance our APEC priorities throughout the Philippines host year.

USCIB Participation in APEC

SOM1 – Clark, Philippines

USCIB members will travel to Clark to attend the APEC Chemical Dialogue (CD), a forum for regulatory officials and industry representatives seeking to advance regulatory dialogue on the chemicals trade and achieve environmental protection while minimizing costs to business. Helen Medina, USCIB’s senior director for product policy and innovation, was scheduled to attend the summit but was unable to due to inclement weather in New York. She will attend the CD during SOM3, and will continue to review APEC’s ongoing efforts to promote regulatory cooperation in the APEC economies.

SOM2 and Meeting of the Ministers Responsible for Trade – Boracay, Philippines

USCIB is advancing work on global value chains within the Asia-Pacific, working with Ed Brzytwa, director for APEC affairs at the office of the United States Trade Representative, in supporting the U.S. government’s efforts to address barriers to trade and investment.

USCIB is also coordinating with ICC to issue a statement on localization barriers to trade urging APEC economies to adopt alternative policies that will enhance their competitiveness and attract foreign direct investment.

SOM3 – Cebu, Philippines

Kristin Isabelli, USCIB’s director of customs and trade facilitation, will attend a the meeting of the APEC Sub-Committee on Customs Procedures to share the private sector’s vision on the benefits of implementing guidelines that would streamline cross-border trade among APEC economies. Isabelli is also the private sector chair of the APEC Virtual Customs Business Working Group.

CEO Summit – Manila, Philippines

This is the fifth year that USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson will attend the APEC CEO Summit. USCIB will join business representatives from around the world to participate in bilateral meetings with senior officials from APEC economies to relay USCIB’s top priorities and coordinate across industries, sectors and borders.

Key 2015 APEC Events

  • SOM I – Jan  26-Feb 7 (Clark)
  • SOM II – May 10-21 (Boracay)
  • SOM III – Aug 24-Sept 8 (Cebu)
  • Women in the Economy Summit – Sept 16-18 (Manila)
  • Energy Ministerial and Private Sector Dialogue on Energy – Oct 12-14 (Cebu)
  • CEO Summit – Nov 15-17 (Manila)
  • APEC Leaders Meeting – Nov 17-18 (Manila)