smoy Archives

  • USCIB Hosts Reception in Washington for Members and Friends

    Published on June 2, 2026

    Gerald “Chip” Kunde (Ferrero), Whitney Y. Baird (USCIB), Dorothy Atwood (The Walt Disney Company)

    USCIB hosted a Summer Drinks Reception at member company Ferrero’s Washington office on May 28. The reception gathered USCIB members, embassy representatives, heads of missions, and representatives from the US government and international organizations.

    USCIB Chair Dorothy Atwood (The Walt Disney Company), USCIB Vice Chair Gerald Kunde (Ferrero), and Whitney Y. Baird, President and CEO at USCIB, welcomed guests with brief remarks, highlighting USCIB’s unique role in advocating on behalf of US business in the global arena. USCIB is grateful to Ferrero for hosting us for the second consecutive year.

    USCIB also held a Board meeting earlier that day, formally electing and re-electing members to USCIB’s Board of Trustees and Board of Directors for the 2026-2028 term.

    USCIB hosted a Summer Drinks Reception at member company Ferrero’s Washington office on May 28. The reception gathered USCIB members, embassy representatives, heads of missions, and representatives from the US government and international organizations.

  • Biodiversity

    Published on May 15, 2026

    Agnes Vinblad with global experts at the United Nations Biodiversity Expert Meeting on Environmental Policy Coherence in Vilm, Germany.

    USCIB represents member companies across key international fora related to biodiversity and nature impact policy. As an official observer to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (“UN Biodiversity” or “CBD”), USCIB actively represents multisectoral US business interests at the biannual UN Biodiversity Conference of the Parties (COP’s) and the technical intersessional meetings of the UN Biodiversity subsidiary bodies, advocating constructive outcomes that strengthen US business competitiveness while advancing environmental protection.

    We convene member meetings to discuss trends and developments across the biodiversity policy landscape, and develop US business positions on topics such as biodiversity and pollution, corporate disclosure requirements, and nature finance.

    What’s at Stake for US Business

    While the US government is not a Party to the CBD, the Convention is a multilateral treaty with near-universal participation with 196 Parties. Decisions reached at the CBD shape global rules across key markets for US business, with American companies facing wide-reaching, indirect impacts through foreign regulations, investor expectations, procurement standards, and biodiversity reporting requirements that affect operations, finance, market access, reputational risk, and long-term resource security.

    Key Issues include:

    • Corporate reporting requirements on biodiversity and related nature risks and impacts.
    • Biodiversity finance and increasing pressures on mobilizing private sector funding for nature.
    • Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) of genetic resources.
    • Digital Sequence Information (DSI), also known as digital genetic data, with a focus on the CBD-established, multilateral benefit-sharing mechanism, “the Cali Fund”.
    • Emerging issues on the biodiversity and pollution nexus with a focus on the impacts of chemicals and plastics on biodiversity.
    • Synergies across climate, biodiversity, and land-use policies.
    USCIB’s Agnes Vinblad at UN CBD SBSTTA-27 in Panama City, Panama.

    USCIB’s Agnes Vinblad at UN CBD SBSTTA-27 in Panama City, Panama.

    USCIB Actions

    • Represent members at technical meetings of the UN Biodiversity Subsidiary Bodies, ensuring that US business interests are considered when decisions are made.
    • USCIB members are actively participating in the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and ICC’s Access and Benefit-Sharing Taskforce, contributing to shaping the global business position on access and benefit-sharing of genetic resources, and regulatory considerations related to digital genetic data.
    • USCIB will send a multisectoral US business delegation to UN Biodiversity COP17 in Armenia, showcasing US business solutions, while serving as a resource for governments to learn private sector perspectives on policy decisions that drives economic growth while safeguarding environmental protections.
    • Represent members at technical expert exchanges on discussions related to Rio Convention Synergies, advancing US business priorities on strengthening policy coherence across climate, biodiversity, and land-use.
    Meeting Location Dates
    6th session of the UN CBD Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI-6) Rome, Italy February 16-19, 2026
    UN CBD Technical Expert Exchange – Synergies across climate, biodiversity and land-use policies Vilm, Germany June 2-5, 2026
    28th session of the UN CBD Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-28) Nairobi, Kenya July 27-August 1, 2026
    7th session of the UN CBD Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI-7) Nairobi, Kenya August 4-12, 2026
    17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN CBD (UN Biodiversity COP17) Yerevan, Armenia October 19-30, 22026

    Chair

    Liane Grieco
    Director, Global Biodiversity Strategy & Programs
    IFF

    Staff

    Agnes Vinblad
    Senior Director, Environment and Sustainable Development
    avinblad@uscib.org

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    • USCIB Hosts Reception in Washington for Members and Friends

    USCIB hosted a Summer Drinks Reception at member company Ferrero’s Washington office on May 28. The reception gathered USCIB members, embassy representatives, heads of missions, and representatives from the US government and international organizations.

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