Kira Yevtukhova Archives

USCIB Continues to Support Comprehensive Trade Deal with Japan

Published on September 29, 2019
Using a transparent effect.

Washington, D.C., September 25, 2019 – Following the announcement of a partial trade deal between the United States and Japan today on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), which represents America’s most successful global companies, welcomed the conclusion of the deal with Japan addressing some key trade concerns, but looks forward to continued negotiations of a comprehensive agreement to benefit American businesses in all sectors.

“This partial deal is an important first step in opening the market with the fourth largest trading partner of the United States,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson. “However, several other sectors that also have trade concerns are not covered by this agreement, so we urge the Administration to continue negotiations to create vital opportunities for U.S. companies exporting to and investing in Japan.”

USCIB continues to support a comprehensive trade deal including important provisions on broad market access, intellectual property protections, investment, customs and trade facilitation, financial services, and dispute settlement. These provisions, providing broad access and protections, are key to ensuring the economic success of American companies in the global market place.

About USCIB:
USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world, generating $5 trillion in annual revenues and employing over 11 million people worldwide. As the U.S. affiliate of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the International Organization of Employers, and Business at OECD (known as BIAC), USCIB helps to provide business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More information is available at www.uscib.org.

Contact:
Kira Yevtukhova, USCIB
+1 202.617.3160, kyevtukhova@uscib.org

International Business Bookstore for Incoterms® 2020 Materials

Published on September 23, 2019

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International Business Bookstore: learn key skills for international business today. Titles cover topics from banking, commercial trade terms (Incoterms®), export/import, and commercial contracts. These books are great for individuals involved in international business including freight forwarders, exporters/importers, corporate executives, custom brokers, and more. Books are produced by experts at International Chamber of Commerce and sold in the USA by USCIB.

All books are sold and shipped through Amazon with Amazon Prime. Prices may shift slightly due to Amazon pricing policy.

Subscribe to the USCIB Bookstore Newsletter to stay updated on the release of Incoterms® 2020.

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The Book Store


Incoterms® 2020
$60.00
Buy Now

ICC Guide to Export/Import

ICC Guide to Export/Import
$75.00
Buy Now

Drafting and Negotiating
Drafting and Negotiating
$170.00
Buy Now

Business Guide to Trade and Investment
Business Guide to Trade and Investment
$75.00
Buy Now

Business Guide to Trade and Investment, Vol. 2
Business Guide to Trade and Investment, Vol. 2
$75.00
Buy Now

ICC Guide to Incoterms 2010ICC Guide to Incoterms 2010
$90.00
Buy Now

International Standard Banking Practice - ISBP 2013ISBP 2013
Price $35
Buy Now

Commentary on UCP 600Commentary on UCP 600
$75.00
Buy Now

Wallchart IncotermsWallchart Incoterms
$110.00
Buy Now

Uniform Rules for ForfaitingUniform Rules for Forfaiting
$35.00
Buy Now

Users Handbook For Documentary Credits UCP 600Users’ Handbook for Documentary Credits under UCP 600
$75.00
Buy Now

Incoterms 2010

Incoterms 2010
Price $60.00
Buy Now

New Titles

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Best Sellers

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USCIB Urges Ongoing US-China Negotiations

Published on August 14, 2019

Washington, D.C., August 13, 2019 – In response to President Trump’s announcement earlier today to delay implementation of a ten percent tariff on imports from China, the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), which represents America’s most successful global companies, urged the U.S. and China to continue negotiations toward a comprehensive agreement.

“Simply delaying harmful tariffs on a select number of particularly impacted products from September 1 to December 15 is not a solution,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson. “It is crucial for the United States and China to engage in continuous discussions in order to reach a negotiated outcome with the goal of removing these tariffs and eliminating market barriers and discrimination.”

Robinson noted that American business continues to have major problems with China’s commercial policies and urged the Trump administration to work more closely with key U.S. trading partners and with the business community to address serious Chinese trade abuses, including referring U.S. complaints to the World Trade Organization.

About USCIB:
USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world, generating $5 trillion in annual revenues and employing over 11 million people worldwide. As the U.S. affiliate of several leading international business organizations, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More information is available at www.uscib.org.

Contact:
Jonathan Huneke, USCIB
+1 212.703.5043, jhuneke@uscib.org

USCIB Unveils Nationwide Incoterms® 2020 Seminars

Published on August 13, 2019

New York, August 13, 2019 – With the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) set to publish the latest update is to its essential Incoterms® rules for cross-border trade, its American national committee, the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), has announced plans for a nationwide series of seminars to train users in Incoterms® 2020.

Facilitating trillions of dollars in global trade each year, the “international commercial terms,” or Incoterms® rules, are a commonly accepted set of definitions and rules governing commercial trade activity. Updated approximately every ten years, the latest Incoterms® 2020 revision will be released worldwide next month.

USCIB’s training seminars will be led by renowned Incoterms® expert Frank Reynolds, CEO of International Projects Inc., who represented the United States in the ICC working group that drafted the 2020 revision.

“As America’s foremost Incoterms® authority, Frank Reynolds is uniquely qualified to explain these rules as they apply to U.S. trade practice,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson. “Frank brings over 50 years of hands-on practical expertise to ICC’s Incoterms® 2020 revision, and he has provided essential instruction to users on several previous revisions.”

Visit www.incoterms-for-americans.com for the full list of upcoming U.S. Incoterms® 2020 training seminars, and to register. To pre-order digital or print copies of the Incoterms® 2020 rules, visit the USCIB International Business Bookstore. ICC’s official worldwide launch of Incoterms® 2020 is set for mid-September.

USCIB has established a central information page on its website for all the latest developments surrounding the introduction of Incoterms® 2020. Go to uscib.org/about-incoterms-2020 for more information.

About USCIB:
USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world, generating $5 trillion in annual revenues and employing over 11 million people worldwide. As the U.S. affiliate of several leading international business organizations, including ICC, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More information is available at www.uscib.org.

Contact:
Jonathan Huneke, USCIB
jhuneke@uscib.org, +1 212.703.5043

New Business Partnership for Sustainable Development Launched

Published on July 19, 2019
USCIB Vice President Michael Michener (left) and BPSD Executive Director Scott Ratzan at the New York launch event

New York, N.Y., July 17, 2019 – The USCIB Foundation, Inc., an educational and research foundation affiliated with the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), today announced the launch of Business Partners for Sustainable Development (BPSD).

BPSD will create new international public-private partnerships in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It will provide a framework for government, business and civil society to share information, resources, activities and capabilities, and work in collaboration to achieve objectives together that the sectors cannot achieve independently. BPSD will facilitate partnerships, identify creative solutions, leverage proven strategies, measure progress and report results.

All BPSD initiatives will be based on four pillars of partnership:

  • Inclusion: Bringing together all stakeholders to establish accountability, shared risk and mutually beneficial objectives.
  • Innovation: Fostering forward thinking, collaborative solutions and imaginative partnership strategies for implementation.
  • Influence: Leveraging thought leadership and digital resources to promote the role, explain the benefits and achieve the impact of multisector engagement on achieving the SDGs.
  • Impact: Adapting or developing credible techniques for measuring, monitoring and evaluating the impact of public private partnerships.

“We want BPSD to be an important step forward in facilitating successful and impactful public private partnerships to achieve the SDGs,” According to Michael Michener, USCIB’s vice president for product policy and innovation.

Dr. Scott Ratzan will serve as executive director of BPSD. Ratzan will serve in a part-time leadership role developing the strategic priorities for the center, directing its initial activities and advancing the visibility of the BPSD within multilateral organizations and the U.S. government.

“Scott Ratzan brings extensive experience and keen insight for setting the future direction of BPSD to achieve the SDGs,” stated USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson. “I am honored to join in a leadership capacity to advance this important mission,” said Ratzan. BPSD will be a leader and an innovator in advancing successful and impactful public private partnerships to achieve the SDGs.”

Ratzan recently served as senior fellow at Mossavar Rahmani Center for Business & Government, Harvard Kennedy School. He has multi-sector program experience with AB InBev, Johnson & Johnson, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and a number of leading academic institutions.

At Harvard, Ratzan led a team where he developed Guiding Principles for Multisector Engagement for Sustainable Health, building upon experience from a number of partnerships he pioneered including Together for Safer Roads, Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action, Global Smokefree Worksite Challenge. and the Global Smart Drinking Goals. Ratzan also served as CoChair of the UN Secretary General’s Every Woman Every Child Innovation Working Group, as Vice Chair of the Business Industry Advisory Council’s Health Committee to the OECD and also on the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Health & Well-being.

About The USCIB Foundation, Inc.: Since 1980, The USCIB Foundation has been dedicated to a single mission: advancing the benefits of a free market economy and promoting the essential role of the private sector in stimulating economic growth and progress in social development. Today, the Foundation pursues that mission through a portfolio of initiatives that strives to inform future choices made by stakeholders and policy makers that benefit people around the world.

About USCIB: USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy. As the U.S. affiliate of several leading international business organizations, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment.

USCIB Objects to Implementation of Digital Service Taxes by France

Published on July 17, 2019

Washington, D.C., July 17, 2019 – Responding to the recent announcement by France to implement a digital service taxes (DST), the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), which represents America’s most successful global companies, urges countries to avoid unilateral measures and instead pursue a consensus-based, comprehensive and income tax-based solution. USCIB supports the OECD Inclusive Framework process for reaching agreement on these global issues.

The French law will impose a tax of three percent on certain revenue earned by technology companies including advertising, commissions from digital marketplaces and sales of data.

“Taxes on revenues are distortive,” said USCIB Vice President for Tax Policy Carol Doran Klein. “The total tax may exceed company profit and misallocate profits to the market jurisdiction. Any solution should be treaty compliant and designed to avoid controversy. It should tax income based on where value is created by companies, including appropriate recognition of where intangibles are created. Furthermore, any solution should not discourage innovation.”

Klein also warned that the French tax will not be easy to implement and will put a significant burden on companies to set up systems to track global revenues. “Implementing such new systems would be both time consuming and expensive – not simple or easily implemented – and would divert company resources from useful profit-making activities.”

“It is unfortunate that France has decided to repeat the mistakes identified in the debate over the unsuccessful EU DST,” said Bill Sample, chair of USCIB’s Tax Committee. “I urge France to focus their energies on reaching a consensus solution within the OECD’s Inclusive Framework for a sustainable international tax system that recognizes innovation and production and minimizes the adverse impact of the costs of double taxation on business investment and growth.”

USCIB reiterated its concerns in a letter to the government of New Zealand, which is also looking at options for taxing the digital economy.

About USCIB:
USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world, generating $5 trillion in annual revenues and employing over 11 million people worldwide. As the U.S. affiliate of the International Chamber of Commerce, the International Organization of Employers and Business at OECD, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More at www.uscib.org.

Contact:
Jonathan Huneke, USCIB
+1 212.703.5043, jhuneke@uscib.org

Business for 2030 Platform Honored by International Chamber of Commerce

Published on June 6, 2019

The Business for 2030 initiative, launched by USCIB in 2015 as a platform to showcase private-sector efforts aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, was honored by our partners at the International Chamber of Commerce in May.

At a meeting of ICC National Committees in Paris, Business for 2030 took third place in the Americas region in the “NC Initiative of the Year” competition for 2018-2019. USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson accepted on behalf of USCIB and its Business for 2030 team.

“I couldn’t be prouder of our team and of the many, many companies and organizations that have contributed to this essential platform over the past four years,” Robinson said.

Business for 2030 showcases past and ongoing contributions by companies and business organizations to sustainable development, through the lens of the SDGs. It currently features projects in over 150 countries, which can be viewed by specific SDGs, by company and by country.

The site aims to stimulate a more productive partnership between the public and private sectors – at the UN and at national levels – and to demonstrate the need for a proportionate role for business in the negotiations, implementation and follow-up mechanisms of the 2030 Development Agenda at both the UN and at national levels.

Rounding out the winners from the Americas region were ICC Brazil, which won 1st place (and the top worldwide prize overall) for its ITTI Cognitive Trade Advisor program, and ICC Guatemala in 2nd place for its GuateIntegra anti-corruption initiative.

USCIB Applauds Approval of OECD Principles on Artificial Intelligence

Published on May 22, 2019

Washington, D.C., May 22, 2019 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB), applauds the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) approval on May 22 of the OECD Principles on Artificial Intelligence (AI). Working through Business at OECD (BIAC), a core group of USCIB members participated in a special, 50+ member experts group that was convened to scope these principles. They contributed directly to the development of five complementary, values-based principles for the responsible development and stewardship of trustworthy AI and five recommendations for public policy and international cooperation.

Importantly, these principles are not prescriptive. They highlight human-centered values, fairness, transparency, robust security, and accountability as foundational elements for AI deployment that will ensure inclusive growth, sustainable development and well-being. The principles, which were developed through multistakeholder dialogue involving input from business, government, civil society, the technical community, and labor unions, also recognize the appropriate role of governments in creating an enabling environment for research and development to drive innovation in trustworthy AI. They call upon governments to develop mechanisms to share data and knowledge and programs to equip people with digital skills so they can transition to new employment that will harness AI for economic and societal good. The OECD’s 36 member countries, along with Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru and Romania, who signed up to the AI Principles at the organization’s annual Ministerial Council Meeting today in Paris, further agreed to cooperate across borders and sectors to share information, and develop international, interoperable standards to ensure safe, fair and trustworthy AI.

“USCIB is honored that its members played a direct role in shaping principles that will enable us to tap the extraordinary potential of Artificial Intelligence in a manner that will improve economic and societal well-being across diverse sectors such as energy and the environment, healthcare, and transportation, to name a few,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson. “Perhaps most important, these principles include important safeguards that keep human-centered values at the core of AI deployment and prevail upon all ‘AI actors’ to respect democratic values throughout the AI system lifecycle, commit to transparency, and to demonstrate accountability, among other responsibilities. We see a bright future ahead and look forward to the adoption of these principles by OECD members and non-members alike,” added Robinson.

About USCIB:
USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world, generating $5 trillion in annual revenues and employing over 11 million people worldwide. As the U.S. affiliate of the International Chamber of Commerce, the International Organization of Employers and Business at OECD, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More at www.uscib.org.

Contact:
Jonathan Huneke, USCIB
+1 212.703.5043, jhuneke@uscib.org

ICC Warns Against Misuse of Incoterms 2020 Rules

Published on May 22, 2019

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is preparing for the publication of Incoterms® 2020, an update of the renowned regulations that define the responsibilities of buyers and sellers operating in the international trade system.

According to ICC, with the launch of Incoterms set for later this year, websites are already claiming to have information or training sessions about the update of its commercial trade terms. As the world business organization, ICC is the originator and sole official publisher of the Incoterms® rules. Any misuse of the terms can lead to costly mistakes. So how can users spot fake Incoterms® rules information? ICC provides three tips to ensure the right details, from the most credible source:

  1. Does it mention ICC? One of the easiest ways to spot a misleading Incoterms® 2020 rules website is to check and see if ICC mentioned at all. As the originator and official publisher of the Incoterms® rules, it is important for business to consult resources directly sourced by ICC.
  2. Words matter: In most cases, websites will make bold predictions about the Incoterms®2020 rules. Speculative sentences, such as “rumors point to changes,” or “it would be very important to change,” are commonplace on these deceptive websites and do not reflect the official position of ICC.
  3. Are they offering training sessions now? ICC urges those using or studying to consult only ICC-supported websites for information pertaining to the Incoterms® rules to ensure application of the right procedure. By registering for non-ICC affiliated training sessions, businesses and other users run the risk of spending money to receive false information.

For more detailed information, visit ICC.

USCIB has established a central information page on its website for all the latest developments surrounding the introduction of Incoterms® 2020. Go to uscib.org/about-incoterms-2020 for more information.

USCIB Helps Mark World Trade Week NYC

Published on May 14, 2019
L-R: Chuck Ludmer (CohnReznick), Jonathan Huneke (USCIB)

Each May, in cities across the United States, supporters of international trade gather to mark World Trade Week, which was first proclaimed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. USCIB has long championed World Trade Week NYC, and this year was no different.

At a World Trade Week NYC 2019 kickoff breakfast on May 13 at Baruch College’s Weissman Center for International Business, several leading exporters and companies who have achieved success on the global stage were celebrated. Jonathan Huneke, USCIB’s vice president for communications and public affairs, presented WTW NYC’s Global Achievement Award to the accounting firm CohnReznick, which has served as a World Trade Week co-sponsor each year for the past decade. The award was accepted by Charles G. Ludmer, CohnReznick’s chief practice development officer and the private-sector co-chair of World Trade Week NYC 2019.

“Celebrating its centennial this year, CohnReznick has established itself as a cornerstone of international trade in the region and around the world,” Huneke said. “There’s no better ambassador for New York than CohnReznick. And there’s no better ambassador for the firm, and for World Trade Week, than Chuck Ludmer.”

Key speakers at the awards breakfast included Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Gilbert B. Kaplan and Al Mangels, president of Lee Spring Co.

Frankie Raddish, senior trade advisor in USCIB’s Trade Service and ATA Carnet Department, also took part in the awards breakfast and a neighboring exhibition by World Trade Week partner organizations. Numerous partners are holding trade-themed events around the New York metropolitan area during the month of May.