Politico, Morning Trade
“BUSINESS GROUP GIVES TPP QUALIFIED ENDORSEMENT: Meanwhile, a major business group, the New York-based United States Council for International Business, urged Congress to approve the Trans-Pacific Partnership, but also called on the administration to fix problems with the pact before sending it to Capitol Hill.”
Will push for congressional ratification, but urges some shortcomings in agreement be addressed
New York, N.Y., December 8, 2015 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) supports the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) and urges members of Congress to approve TPP. After reviewing the text of the agreement and consulting with our broad cross-sectoral membership as well as our Board of Directors, USCIB believes that the TPP agreement will contribute substantially to economic growth in the United States and the region, cement U.S. global leadership and provide significant new opportunities for U.S. businesses, workers and farmers.
The TPP expands market access in the region through elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers as well as breaking new ground in addressing growing regulatory impediments to trade. Some of the key measures include:
While we support TPP, we also believe that it could be improved by addressing provisions in the agreement that limit or exclude protections for certain sectors. We urge the Administration to work to address these limitations before submitting the final agreement to Congress. Dealing with these concerns would avoid any possible negative precedents for future agreements and facilitate consideration of TPP under Trade Promotion Authority.
With slowing global trade and modest economic growth forecasts, passage of the TPP is a critical act and affirmation by governments representing almost 40 percent of world GDP that protectionism is not the answer and that liberalized markets in which businesses are allowed to compete on a level playing field are the best formula for creating jobs, opportunity, innovation and spreading the rule of law more extensively in the region. This reality is already being grasped by many other countries that now aspire to join the TPP. The United States and the global economy will be better off with a TPP and USCIB will work with the Administration and Congress, as well as our global business partners, to secure passage.
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. With a unique global network, 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
Paris, December 7, 2015 – American business representatives gathered at the UN climate summit in Paris have appealed to governments to establish a mechanism for ongoing, substantive dialogue with the private sector, saying such a mechanism is essential to achieving COP21’s goal of effectively addressing global climate change.
The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) and the American Chamber of Commerce in France issued a joint declaration following a business briefing on December 5 that coincided with the halfway point of COP21.
The declaration stated: “Until now, business groups have been viewed as ‘observers’ at these vital UN deliberations. Yet in view of all that business does and offers, that is a misnomer. We see COP21 as a pivotal opportunity to pursue institutional innovation. New challenges require new ways of working together, which can be achieved through the recognition and expansion of partnerships, dialogue and consultation between governments and the private sector.”
The two business groups said a new business consultative mechanism would provide both long-term and short-term benefits, helping governments prioritize policies to address climate change, while allowing companies to better invest in cleaner technologies and solutions. This mechanism could provide national governments and the UN secretariat with detailed technical guidance on a range of matters, including implementation of the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) at the national and international levels.
“COP21 gives us an opportunity to develop workable solutions. These can only be found if the private and public sector work together. It is time for the UN to provide a recognized interface for business engagement so that together we build solutions that make a difference in the fight against climate change.” Pierre Dejoux (Otis/United Technologies), member of the board and representative of the Green Growth Committee at AmCham France. The Green Growth Committee, made up of representatives from large corporations, SMEs and startups, leads AmCham’s actions on climate change and sustainability issues. Through its network of committees, AmCham’s role as a business enabler focuses on facilitating exchanges amongst private sector actors and on fostering a dialogue with public authorities in France.
“Our takeaway from today is that the UN needs business,” USCIB President CEO Peter Robinson said at the meeting. “It needs a solid working relationship between business and the UN system. To be sure, business needs the UN Climate Agreement – but more importantly, the UNFCCC needs business.”
With over twenty years’ experience of direct engagement in the UN climate process, USCIB is representing American business at COP21 in its capacity as the U.S. affiliate of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), which is serving as the umbrella business coordinator in Paris, and as a member of the Business Major Economies Forum (BizMEF), which encompasses national business groups from the leading economies 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, with operations in every region of the world. With a unique global network encompassing 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 at www.uscib.org.
Contact:
Jonathan Huneke, USCIB
+1 212.703.5043, jhuneke@uscib.org.
A new International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) statement urging governments to reject general advertising bans and overly prescriptive restrictions on truthful commercial communications, in favor of self-regulatory practices, warns that excessive regulation in the field of advertising and commercial communications could hinder trade and hamper economic growth and development.
Issued on November 24, the ICC policy statement addresses continuing threat of bans on advertising and promotion of legal products and restrictions on freedom of commercial communication in favor of self-regulatory practices.
“This statement presents the views of global business on the freedom of commercial communication and expands on the discussion of the rights of advertisers,” said Brent Sanders (Microsoft), chair of the ICC commission and of USCIB’s Marketing and Advertising Committee. “It outlines the responsibilities accepted by business and supports the argument for continued self-regulation through ICC codes.”
ICC’s Commission on Marketing and Advertising will hold its nextg meeting on December 7 in New York. The Consolidated ICC Code of Advertising and Marketing Communications Practice (the ICC Code), is the gold standard for most nationally applied self-regulation around the world.
The newly revised ICC policy statement on freedom of commercial communication outlines ICC Code principles related to freedom of commercial communication and self-regulation, and recognizes business responsibility to consumers in providing decent, honest and truthful commercial communication. It aims to underscore that freedom of advertising and of commercial speech, underpinned by effective self-regulation, are cornerstones of the market economy.
“Latin America has seen a proliferation of proposals or enacted laws to restrict food and beverage marketing and this statement from ICC is most timely as business concern mounts with threats continuing to extend globally,” said Ximena Tapias Delporte, vice chair of the ICC Commission on Marketing and Advertising and executive chairman of the Colombian Union of Advertising Companies.
In the statement, ICC upholds that products that can be legally manufactured and marketed should be legal to advertise in line with free market media and communication laws, taking into account the interests of the public and the common good.
ICC has served as the authoritative rule-setter for international advertising since the 1930s, when the first ICC Code on advertising practice was issued. Since then, it has updated and expanded the ICC self-regulatory framework where needed to assist companies in marketing their products responsibly and to help self-regulators apply the rules consistently.
Download the ICC Policy Statement on Freedom of Commercial Communications
Download the Consolidated ICC Code of Advertising and Marketing Communications Practice
Washington, D.C., October 19, 2015 – Megan M. Giblin has joined the United States Council for International Business (USCIB) as director of customs and trade facilitation. The move enhances the organization’s role as a leader in providing business views on U.S. and international customs policy at a time that reducing barriers to movement of goods and services at the border is increasingly vital to the competitiveness of our members.
“Megan brings strong customs experience, with nearly a decade in the field, at a time when we face a number of crucial business priorities demanding attention,” said Rob Mulligan, USCIB’s senior vice president for policy and government affairs. “These include urgently needed U.S. Customs reauthorization legislation, as well as entry into force and implementation of the landmark WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, which the United States has ratified but which still must be ratified and implemented by many other countries.”
In her new position, Giblin will manage USCIB’s work on customs policy, providing staff direction and support to USCIB’s Customs and Trade Facilitation Committee, chaired by Jerry Cook, vice president of government and trade relations with Hanes Brands. Additionally, she will serve as an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) representative to the World Customs Organization’s Harmonized Systems Committee.
Giblin previously served as business operations manager in Hewlett-Packard Company’s global trade department, working on customs, trade policy and trade facilitation. Additionally, Giblin has served as a cleared advisor to the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, serving on and co-chairing the Industry Trade Advisory Committee (ITAC) on Customs and Trade Facilitation Matters. She holds an MBA from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and a bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University.
Click here for more information on USCIB’s Customs and Trade Facilitation Committee. Click here to read Committee Chair Jerry Cook’s recent column on customs policy priorities in American Shipper magazine.
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. With a unique global network, 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
New York, N.Y., October 12, 2015 – Randall Stephenson, chairman and chief executive of AT&T Inc., will be honored by the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), a pro-trade group that represents America’s leading global companies. Stephenson will receive USCIB’s International Leadership Award at a gala dinner on November 9 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York.
“Randall Stephenson has truly made his mark at AT&T, a company that epitomizes innovation and a commitment to connectivity, quality and security in today’s fast-paced global economy,” said USCIB Chairman Terry McGraw, chairman emeritus of McGraw Hill Financial [now S&P Global]. “He has further reinforced the company’s commitment to open markets, and to free and fair competition, while demonstrating how a large, global company can help improve the lives of people everywhere.”
Stephenson was named AT&T’s chairman and chief executive in 2007.
Under Stephenson’s leadership, AT&T has become the largest pay-TV provider in the U.S. and the world; built a best-in-class nationwide wireless network, serving more than 132 million subscribers in the U.S. and Mexico; and deployed wired high-speed Internet service to 57 million customer locations. It plans to extend its high-speed mobile Internet service to 100 million people and businesses in Mexico by 2018. In 2014, AT&T reported revenues of over $132 billion in 2014 and 31 consecutive years of dividend growth.
In 2008, at Stephenson’s direction, the company launched AT&T Aspire, a philanthropic program to help improve college and career readiness for students at risk of dropping out of high school. Stephenson has also led AT&T’s “It Can Wait” campaign, an education and awareness program encouraging people to never text while driving.
Stephenson also serves as chairman of the Business Roundtable, and is on the board of Emerson Electric Co.
USCIB’s International Leadership Award has been presented annually to a leading CEO, international figure or institution since 1980, recognizing outstanding contributions to global trade, finance and investment. Recent recipients have included Roberto Azevedo, director general of the World Trade Organization, and Fred Smith, CEO of FedEx.
Founded in 1945, USCIB is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. Organizers of the event promised some special surprises at the dinner to mark the auspicious anniversary. The annual award gala draws hundreds of business leaders and dignitaries from government and diplomatic circles. More on the event is available at www.uscibgala.com.
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. With a unique global network, 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
New York, N.Y., September 15, 2015 – As world leaders get set to descend on New York for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Summit, companies from the United States and around the world are lining up in support of this ambitious and far-reaching effort to transform our world.
Reflecting this commitment, the United States Council for International Business (USCIB) has launched Business for 2030, a new web portal aimed at stimulating more productive partnerships between the public and private sectors in support of the SDGs. USCIB serves as the voice of American business in the UN and other multilateral bodies, primarily through its role as the American affiliate of several global business groups, including the International Chamber of Commerce.
“We wanted to highlight concrete initiatives and partnerships that our members and partners are undertaking to support the 2030 Agenda,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson. “We believe that Business for 2030 can inspire renewed trust in the private sector, while catalyzing active, sustained business engagement in support of the SDGs.”
The Business for 2030 portal, which will be launched at a September 24 event in Midtown Manhattan, features more than 80 real-world examples of company initiatives and public-private partnerships, organized in relation to over 50 of the business-relevant SDG targets.
The initiative picks up on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon‘s exhortation for the private sector “to take its place at the table and plot a path forward for the next 15 years, reaffirming once again that responsible business is a force for good.”
At the September 24 launch, USCIB member companies and international business representatives will engage with the broader development community to provide deeper context to a selection of the diverse examples featured on the Business for 2030 web portal. There will be special focus on the critical role of infrastructure in catalyzing progress on the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, and the need to transform partnerships globally and locally, through enhanced national development strategic planning and coordination for achieving the SDGs.
Participants at the event will include UN member state and secretariat representatives, along with corporate executives and representatives of civil society.
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. With a unique global network encompassing leading international business organizations, 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
+1 917.420.0039, jhuneke@uscib.org
This year, the International Chamber of Commerce launched the first annual ICC Photographic Award, a celebration of artistic skill and outstanding photography which aims to draw attention to—and stimulate dialogue around—the global challenge of climate change.
The award invites professional and amateur photographers from all over the world to submit applications reflecting on the theme of #OurClimate: from the causes and impacts of a changing climate, to our response (past, present or future), to the single biggest challenge facing humanity.
“The winning photographs will be exhibited alongside a selection of shortlisted images that most powerfully illustrate the theme of #OurClimate,” said ICC Secretary General John Danilovich. “The exhibition will be held in December 2015 during the Paris Climate Conference at ICC Global Headquarters in Paris.”
The winners will be chosen by a high-level judging panel—including ICC and USCIB Chairman Terry McGraw, Christiana Figures of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and Arancha Gonzalez of the International Trade Center—and will be announced at ICC’s COP21 gala reception on December 8.
The Award is open to all photographers—whether amateur, professional or student—who are invited to submit between 1 to 3 thought-provoking and captivating images exploring the theme of #OurClimate.
The jury members will award three prizes:
To learn more about the award and terms of entry, visit: iccwbo.org/photoaward
New York, N.Y., July 24, 2015 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) welcomed today’s agreement among members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to expand the 1996 Information Technology Agreement (ITA) to a wide array of additional products.
“These are critical, market-opening negotiations, with vast potential to boost U.S. exports,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson. “Combined with last December’s agreement on the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, this breakthrough further demonstrates the importance of keeping a robust multilateral track in the U.S. trade agenda.”
The original ITA helped cement the growth of electronic commerce and the digital economy by freeing up trade in many IT goods and services. But with the rapid growth of the Internet and digital technologies in the two decades since, many newer products fall outside its purview. A plurilateral undertaking among 54 WTO members, the ongoing ITA negotiations aim to lift tariffs on approximately $1 trillion worth of trade in high-tech products annually.
Robinson added: “We applaud the determination displayed by U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and his team to get this important agreement done by this December’s WTO ministerial in Nairobi. We urge all WTO members to seize this momentum to finalize a deal as soon as possible.”
In May 2013, USCIB joined a wide array of high-tech and other business groups in urging negotiators to aim for a comprehensive, ambitious and commercially meaningful expansion of the ITA.
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. With a unique global network, 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
More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee
More on USCIB’s Information, Communications and Technology Committee
During the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, which took place in Addis Ababa from July 13 to 16, the Financial Times published a letter by ICC Secretary General John Danilovich underscoring the need to reform the global trading system to support the post-2015 sustainable development agenda.
The full text of the letter follows:
Addis declaration must mark the start of a push on three commitments
Sir, Your editorial “Global leaders must back broader growth tactics” (July 13) on this week’s Financing for Development conference in Addis Ababa, rightly centres on the disconnect between diplomatic rhetoric and real world action when it comes to fostering development. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the issue of reforming the global trading system in support of the world’s poorest.
If we are to make 2015 the year of sustainable development, the Addis declaration must mark the start of a concerted push to deliver on three longstanding commitments.
First, governments should ratify and implement the World Trade Organisation’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) without delay. This deal – forged in 2013 but ratified by only eight governments to date – would have a transformational effect on the ability of entrepreneurs in developing countries to access global markets by reducing unnecessary red tape at borders. Implementing the TFA, which would also support broader efforts to eliminate corruption and reduce rates of food wastage, should be seen a quick win to deliver on the promise of the post-2015 development agenda.
Second, action is needed to address a growing shortage of bank finance to support trade. Trade finance is one of the safest forms of financing and has the advantage of directly promoting development through trade. According to the Asian Development Bank, there is currently a $1.9tn financing gap for trade globally – with as much as $900bn of the shortfall in developing Asian economies alone. The causes of this problem are multi-faceted: from skills shortages in the financial and commercial sectors through to the unintended effects of national financial crime policies. None will be easy to resolve, but that must not be an excuse for inaction.
Finally, it is imperative that world leaders exercise the political will to conclude the long-stalled Doha Round of trade talks after almost 14 years of periodic crises and missed deadlines. Recent reports have once again called into question whether governments will be able to meet their latest goal of striking a grand bargain by the end of the year. G20 leaders, in particular, must definitively commit to an agreement and give their negotiators the necessary latitude to deliver it. Concluding the round would send the clearest of signals that the international community is finally serious about turning words into action when it comes to enabling trade for development. We must all invest the time and effort to get the Doha deal done.
John Danilovich
Secretary General,
International Chamber of Commerce,
Paris, France