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Promoting U.S. Business Access: USCIB Submits NTE Comments

Published on October 29, 2019

USCIB filed comments on October 25 for the annual National Trade Estimate (NTE) report to highlight significant barriers that American companies continue to face with regards to exports of goods, services and U.S. foreign direct investment. The comprehensive comments included barriers faced by U.S. companies in over twenty countries, including in Brazil, China and India.

According to USCIB Vice President for ICT Policy Barbara Wanner, the comments urged the U.S. Trade Representative to encourage Brazil to promote an international, interoperable policy framework for the Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions that includes M2M permanent roaming, among other things.

“Many IOT and M2M solutions will only reach their optimal scale if they can operate around the globe,” said Wanner. Monitors on airline cargo or shipping containers must be able to operate wherever their freight travels. Automakers sell vehicles across many different countries and operators drive vehicles across national borders for commercial and personal purposes; automakers and customers alike need a single communications platform to support their connected vehicles.

“The Brazilian government should modify the regulatory framework to support providers of IoT and M2M services and devices and allow them to choose between various available options for numbering and device management (including permanent M2M roaming), rather than imposing a single, one-size alternative for all cases,” added Wanner.

With regards to China, USCIB’s submission focused on China’s WTO compliance record in services, particularly China’s indiscriminate filtering and blocking of online services. China’s expansive definition of value-added services, high capitalization requirements for basic telecommunications services, lack of an independent regulator, and restrictions that specifically apply to the non-Chinese companies for provision of value-added services remain key outstanding issues for U.S. business.

Finally, while India has accelerated broadband deployment, USCIB’s comments stressed that it must also implement policies that foster an innovative environment through predictable, progressive and technology-neutral policies that are compatible with global standards.

“It is important to keep encouraging the Indian government to support further market liberalization and to remove remaining market access barriers,” said Wanner. “India should be urged to continue its efforts to provide legal and regulatory policy certainty both in the development of a body of clear and consistent laws and regulations, and in the transparent and equitable application and enforcement of those laws and regulations. Unfortunately, in recent years the government of India has implemented a number of policies that constitute significant market access barriers to U.S. companies, including in data localization, remote access policy and cloud computing.”

Mulligan Represents Business at OECD Trade Meetings

Published on October 29, 2019
USCIB Senior Vice President for Policy and Government Affairs Rob Mulligan

Rob Mulligan, USCIB senior vice president for policy and government affairs, was in Paris the week of October 21 attending OECD and Business at OECD (BIAC) trade committee meetings. Over the last few months, USCIB members have contributed to the development of BIAC’s trade priorities paper which was released last week. Mulligan, as a vice-chair of the BIAC trade committee, represented BIAC at the OECD Trade Committee Meeting and shared the eleven-priorities for consideration as the OECD develops their program of work for 2021-2022.

“During the OECD meeting, I highlighted the need for continued OECD work on market distorting subsidies and other government support for state-owned enterprises, digital trade and new work on trade and the environment that would underpin the need to balance climate change with ensuring open markets for trade,” said Mulligan.

The OECD Trade meeting also discussed ongoing G7, G20 and Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) activities, including outcomes of the G7 and G20 Summits, as well as expectations for the APEC Economic Leader’s meeting in November, which will be hosted by Chile.

USCIB Announces Launch of a Biodiversity Working Group

Published on October 29, 2019

Responding to intergovernmental policy discussions on biodiversity, their implications for American companies, and the opportunity for private sector nature-based solutions, USCIB has announced the launch of a new multi-committee Working Group on Biodiversity. The Working Group is drawn from USCIB’s Environment, Intellectual Property and Innovation and Food and Agriculture committees to reflect the cross-cutting nature and impacts of proposed policies for U.S. companies doing business in global markets. It will begin its work in early November, with a focus on tracking and disseminating business-relevant information about the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UN CBD) negotiations to interested USCIB members.

According to USCIB Vice President for Energy, Environment and Strategic International Engagement Norine Kennedy, this new group will also provide a platform to work with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Working Group, the Global Industry Coalition and other business initiatives related to biodiversity. The Biodiversity Working Group will also facilitate USCIB representation at UN CBD meetings (by both members and USCIB staff) and support the development of USCIB positions as needed.

“The UN CBD is developing a post-2020 biodiversity framework, which will feed into the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” noted Kennedy. “We hope to use this new platform to work with our international partners, such as ICC, to ensure that governments adopt policies that encourage business innovation and include business in future discussions.”

USCIB is planning to attend a workshop on November 6 in Madrid, organized by ICC and Business for Nature Consultation. Workshop participants will discuss and develop draft policy recommendations to governments that are needed to further scale-up existing actions and commitments taken by business to reverse nature loss and restore natural systems.

 If you are a USCIB member interested in joining this Working Group, please contact USCIB Vice President for Energy, Environment and Strategic International Engagement Norine Kennedy.

USCIB Issues Climate Change Statement on UN Day

Published on October 24, 2019

In light of the United Nations celebrating the ratification of its 1945 Charter on October 24, USCIB issued the following statement:

“On this UN Day, USCIB would like to join others in recognizing the indispensable importance of the UN system to American business in advancing international cooperation and providing the infrastructure in which we create shared value and serve society.

USCIB reaffirms our support for U.S. involvement in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Paris Accord. We welcome the growth of the American energy economy from fossil fuels to nuclear to renewables to new options for energy efficiency. The Paris Accord allows every country to define its own pathway to tackling climate risks, and the U.S. has already made good progress on that front, reducing emissions and improving efficiency while advancing its own energy security, growing U.S. jobs and opening new markets for innovative American technologies.

Without U.S. leadership at the Paris Accord table, promoting its strategic and economic interests alongside other countries, opportunities for the deployment of these American private sector solutions could be threatened. We encourage the Administration to revisit its decision and submit, as appropriate, its own visionary plan to the UNFCCC and Paris Accord, in which American energy objectives can co-exist with environmental protection, private sector innovation and sustainably meeting both American and global growing energy demands.”

Private Sector Led Active Role at FAO Meetings on Food Security

Published on October 22, 2019
46th Session of the CFS, Rome. Copyright ©FAO.

USCIB and its members participated in the bilateral meetings at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 46th Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) the week of October 14 in Rome to discuss the private sector’s commitment to ending hunger, malnutrition and food insecurity for all.

“It was a very successful week in Rome,” said USCIB Vice President for Product Policy and Innovation Mike Michener, who leads USCIB’s work on food and healthcare policy. “This year’s meeting of the Private Sector Mechanism (PSM) was the largest and most diverse delegation to date, with 211 farmers, agri-businesses and youth representatives from forty-five countries. USCIB looks forward to furthering its work on nutrition policy and working more closely with these stakeholders.”

The USCIB delegation, led by Michener, participated in several bilateral meetings with U.S. Ambassador Kip Tom, Dutch Ambassador Hans Hoegeveen, the Mission of Italy to the UN, the German delegation from Berlin, and the Secretariat of the New Economic Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). In addition to these meetings, PSM members organized five side-events on the topics of nutrition, agroecology and innovation, multi-stakeholder partnerships and youth. These side-events were attended by over 900 CFS delegates. This year PSM also participated in the World Food Day activities at FAO.

The PSM is a network that coordinates input from business into the UN Committee on World Food Security. This year’s delegation included representatives from USCIB members including Bayer USA, CropLife International, International Food & Beverage Alliance (IFBA), Mars and PepsiCo.

USCIB Welcomes Ratification of UN Convention That Helps SMEs

Published on October 22, 2019

After years of effort by USCIB and a coalition of other trade associations, USCIB welcomed an announcement that the United States has formally ratified the United Nations Convention on the Assignment of Receivables in International Trade, having deposited the instrument on October 17 at the UN Treaty Office in New York.

Enactment of the Convention makes it easier for U.S. small and medium-sized businesses to access additional financing from lenders based on their sales of goods and services to customers located in other countries that ratify the Convention.

USCIB has been urging the U.S. to ratify this convention since 2016 and worked through a coalition to send letters to high-ranking Senators at the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.

“We need three more countries to ratify the Convention for it to enter into force, and we have an active list of those countries most likely to ratify,” noted USCIB Senior Director for Trade, Investment and Financial Services Eva Hampl.

Hampl Contributes Expertise at OECD Workshop on Investment

Published on October 22, 2019
USCIB Senior Director Eva Hampl speaks at OECD

USCIB Senior Director for Trade, Finance and Investment Eva Hampl contributed her expertise on a panel hosted by the OECD during its workshop on investment promotion and facilitation in Paris on October 22. The day-long event focused on investment facilitation and retention, foreign direct investment (FDI) impact on the host economy, as well as organized break-out sessions focusing on specific regions such as the European Union, Eurasia and select Latin America and Caribbean countries.

Hampl’s panel also featured Ambassador of Chile to the WTO and Coordinator of the WTO Structured Discussions on Investment Facilitation for Development Eduardo Gálvez, Director, Services and Industry Promotion Department, Ministry of Foreign Relations of Brazil Min. Luiz Cesar Gasser, Executive Director, Invest in Finland, Business Finland Antti Aumo and Head of Investment Policy Unit, DG Trade, European Commission Carlo Pettinato. Panelists addressed key roles of investment promotion agencies (IPAs) and policymakers in facilitating business establishment, securing investment retention and encouraging re-investments.

As the sole business representative on the panel, Hampl discussed common challenges that companies face on the ground at the establishment phase or for expansions and re-investments in both OECD and non-OECD economies. She suggested measures that governments can make in order to facilitate the establishment of companies to encourage them to stay in the home country. Hampl also touched upon the U.S. business perspective of the WTO discussions on investment facilitation.

“Investment is vital to economic growth and development,” said Hampl during the panel. “However businesses face many challenges when investing, including regulatory issues, lack of IP protections, lack of appropriate redress, inefficiencies and costs generated by forced localization policies and duplicative testing requirements, skills disparity, inability to find suitable business partners, etc. There is unfortunately no one size fits all approach — every country needs to work out what works best within the economy. But any measures should improve the rule of law and strengthen the institutions — more carrot than stick.”

The purpose of the workshop was to build on the IPA mappings to deepen OECD research in certain areas of investment promotion and facilitation, strengthen the knowledge of the OECD IPA Network and exchange on topics of common interest.

Hampl is attending a slew of investment-related meetings taking place at the OECD this week, including an OECD Roundtable on Investment and Sustainable Development, a Business at OECD (BIAC) dinner with the OECD Investment Committee leadership, a Business at OECD Investment Committee meeting and a stakeholder consultation with the OECD Investment Committee.

USCIB Members Win Prestigious State Department ACE Award

Published on October 21, 2019

The U.S. Department of State has announced the four winning U.S. companies for the 2019 Secretary of State Award for Corporate Excellence (“ACE Award”) and, again this year, USCIB member companies are well represented. The two awards open to large multinational companies are both going to USCIB members – Procter & Gamble Asia Pacific wins the ACE for women’s economic empowerment for its gender equality leadership across the Asia Pacific region while PepsiCo in India is recognized for sustainable operations from their community water programs, which focus on water replenishment and water conservation in agricultural practices. P&G is a repeat winner, having won in 2011 for its work in Nigeria and Pakistan.

Nearly every year, one or more USCIB members are among the very select group of winners recognized by the Department of State for exemplary corporate responsibility around the world. Nominations are invited every year from U.S. ambassadors on the ground in each foreign country. These senior U.S. government officials have a keen understanding of the local impact these companies have and the exemplary work they are doing in specific international markets.

The awards will be presented by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to senior executives from each company in a ceremony at the State Department on October 31. Details on the winning company efforts are included in this State Department news release.

USCIB salutes its member company winners this year. “It seems every year one or more USCIB member companies end up winning the prestigious State Department ACE awards,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson. “I’m not surprised since our members are widely recognized among the most progressive, most socially responsible companies in the world. P&G and Pepsi are among our star members, exemplifying all that’s good in the broad areas of corporate responsibility, including sustainability, women’s empowerment, community development, and investing in their employees around the world. When leading U.S. companies trade, invest, and get involved overseas, they bring not only their commercial, economic and technical expertise and their market power; they also bring their values, including corporate responsibility and ethical behavior. I salute Pepsi and P&G as winners this year as I have other member companies in previous years. These award winning companies do us at USCIB and our country proud.”

Pledge to America’s Workers: Spotlight on Amazon

Published on October 15, 2019
Photo credit: Amazon

Following the announcement of the U.S. Department of Labor’s 5th annual National Apprenticeship Week running November 11-17, USCIB is showcasing the positive impact apprenticeship programs have in addressing the U.S. skills gap and preparing the American workforce for the jobs of today and tomorrow. Each week, USCIB is featuring case studies of members that are making an impact in re-skilling and re-training the workforce as part of the White House Pledge to America’s Workers.

USCIB member Amazon has created a 2025 pledge to upskill 100,000 of its employees across the United States. To accomplish this, Amazon has dedicated over $700 million to provide people across its corporate offices, tech hubs, fulfillment centers, retail stores and transportation network with access to training programs that will help employees move into more highly skilled roles within or outside of Amazon.

Amazon has both created and expanded a broad range of training programs based on the insights provided to them by their workforce, including:

The Amazon Technical Academy which offers tuition-free programs and job placement for employees who want to move into the software engineering field. The Amazon Technical Academy combines instructor-led, project-based learning with real-world application, and graduates of the program master the most widely used software engineering practices and tools required to thrive as a software engineer at Amazon. For more information on this program click more here.

Amazon’s Associate2Tech program, is a fully-paid 90-day program that provides fulfillment center associates with the opportunity to move into technical roles, regardless of their previous IT experience. Associate2Tech is designed to place associates in on-the-job training for IT support technician roles and pays for their widely recognized A+ Certification test. No existing degree is needed, and participants receive paid study time during their work week. To learn more about this initiative click here.

The Machine Learning University (MLU) is an initiative helping Amazon employees with backgrounds in technology and coding gain skills in Machine Learning. Machine learning plays an increasingly important role in customer innovation. MLU helps employees learn core skills to propel their career growth – skills that are often taught only in higher education. MLU is divided into six-week modules and the program requires only half to one full day of participation a week. MLU is taught by more than 400 passionate Amazon Machine Learning scientists. Originally launched as a small cohort, the program is on course to train thousands of employees.

In another example, Amazon’s Growing Career Choice program is a pre-paid tuition program for fulfillment center associates looking to move into high-demand occupations. Specifically, Amazon has agreed to pay up to 95% of tuition and fees towards a certificate or diploma in qualified fields of study. Since launching Career Choice in 2012, over 25,000 Amazon employees have received training for high-demand occupations that include aircraft mechanics, computer-aided design, machine tool technologies, medical lab technologies and nursing. The company is investing in expanding the program by building additional classrooms in its fulfillment centers globally and expects to have over sixty on-site classrooms by the end of 2020.

Another exciting program is Amazon Apprenticeship, which is a Department of Labor certified program that offers paid intensive classroom training and on-the-job apprenticeships with Amazon. This opportunity is a combination of immersive learning and on-the-job training. The program has already created paths to technical jobs for hundreds of candidates who are working to break into careers that include cloud support associates, data technicians and software development engineering.

Finally, AWS Training and Certification works on closing the cloud skills gap in the tech industry. Amazon employees have access to free classroom and digital training to build their cloud computing knowledge, as well as discounted AWS Certification exams to validate their learned cloud expertise. Cultivating these in-demand skills opens opportunities both within Amazon and in other organizations around the world as demand for cloud talent continues to grow.

See here for other spotlights:

IBM

Salesforce

Walmart

USCIB Holds High-Level Meetings During WTO Public Forum

Published on October 14, 2019

USCIB and several members were on the ground in Geneva the week of October 7 for the World Trade Organization (WTO) Public Forum. The Forum included a plethora of panels on critical issues of concern to business including digital trade, services, the moratorium in customs duties on electric transmissions (Moratorium), the ongoing e-commerce negotiations, and WTO reform, including issues surrounding the Appellate Body (AB).

In addition to participating in the active forum agenda, USCIB’s Senior Vice President Rob Mulligan and Senior Director Eva Hampl held side-meetings with WTO leadership, such as Deputy Director-General Alan Wolff, Director, Council and TNC Division Victor do Prado, Director, Information and External Relations Division Keith Rockwell and Counselor, Telecom, ICT & E-commerce, Trade in Services and Investment Division Lee Tuthill. Mulligan and Hampl also met with Ambassadors Dennis Shea, Stephen deBoer, and Junichi Ihara from the United States, Canada, and Japan, respectively. Finally, USCIB engaged with international business groups, including Confederation of British Industry (CBI), Ibec (Irish Business), Canadian Chamber of Commerce, ICC UK, and Confederation of Danish Industry (DI).

“Across the board, everybody is closely paying attention to the E-Commerce negotiations,” said Mulligan. “There is a general positive attitude regarding the negotiations, but also a recognition that the tough issues like data flows and localization policies are still to come. Accordingly, it is not likely that an agreement will be ready by the Ministerial Council meeting in June 2020 (MC12).”

According to Mulligan, on the issue of the Moratorium, there continue to be opponents to extending the agreement, but most WTO members support at a minimum extending it to MC12 once it runs out in December of this year. To push back against the opposing forces, several studies are being developed. Among these, the OECD is also developing a paper on the Moratorium, which is likely to be released very soon.

WTO reform domin ated the discussion, often targeted at the U.S. pushing for meaningful updates on issues like subsidies, transparency, and notifications. The U.S. position on the Appellate Body, however, continues to be controversial and there is some nervousness about what will happen to the dispute resolution arm of the WTO once the terms of two of the three remaining AB members run out at the end of the year. On the other hand, there are some who believe pragmatism will take over and the value of the institution and the important work being done on the other reforms will not be impacted.

USCIB also co-hosted a breakfast with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). Speakers at the breakfast included The Right Honorable Liz Truss MP, secretary of state for International Trade in the UK, who spoke on the importance of the multilateral trading system; Ambassador Sunanta Kangvalkulkij from Thailand, who provided an update in the General Council discussions; Ambassador David Walker from New Zealand, who provided an update on the AB, and Ambassador Frances Lisson from Australia, who spoke about the JSI on E-Commerce; and WTO Director General Roberto Azevedo, who spoke to the current state of play of WTO Reform.

To wrap up the busy week in Geneva, USCIB co-hosted a business reception with several other business associations, to underline the importance of a business relationship with the WTO. Invitees include member companies and associations, country delegates, and WTO staff.