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TFA Crucial for Development ICC Tells India

Published on November 12, 2014
ICC Secretary General John Danilovich in India
ICC Secretary General John Danilovich in India

In a meeting last week with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Secretary General John Danilovich and Executive Director of ICC India Ashok Ummat, Indian Secretary of Commerce Rajeev Kher said that the Indian government was aware of the critical importance of the multilateral trading framework and on-going negotiations on the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).

Danilovich stressed that India’s ratification of the TFA was crucial to advancing multilateral trade negotiations. He said that if fully ratified, the agreement, along with other elements of the Bali package agreed to at the WTO ministerial meeting in December 2013, has a potential to inject $1 trillion into the global economy and create 21 million jobs, including 18 million in the developing world.

Leading an ICC delegation that included ICC India Vice President Sandip Somany and ICC India former president Sushil Jiwarajka, Danilovich also stressed the importance of TFA ratification during a meeting with the Indian Sherpa to the G20, Suresh Prabhu.

Prabhu reiterated that the Indian government did not object to the TFA but wanted the WTO to extend the peace clause until a concrete solution could be reached on food security and said that the Indian Ambassador was still talking with the WTO on this issue.

Staff contact: Rob Mulligan

More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee

IOE Seeks Candidates for New Secretary General

Published on November 11, 2014

Following the recent resignation of the International Organization of Employers (IOE) secretary general, Brent Wilton, the IOE Management Board will appoint a successor.

The November 8, 2014 session of the Management Board has appointed a Selection Committee and approved a procedure to take the nomination process forward.

IOE President Daniel Funes de Rioja is inviting candidate submissions for the organization’s secretary general.

A profile of the ideal candidate may be downloaded here. The position is available immediately and is located in Geneva.

Please disseminate this opportunity and profile within your organization, and to others as you deem appropriate, and invite interested parties to submit their CV and cover letter to Funes in English either by email at president@ioe-emp.org, or to the address below, by December 8, 2014.

Mr. Daniel Funes de Rioja
President
International Organization of Employers
71 avenue Louis Casaï
1216 Cointrin, Geneva
Switzerland

We thank you in advance on behalf of the IOE for your engagement in the selection process for identifying the most suitable candidate to head the organization’s secretariat.

Staff contact: Ronnie Goldberg

More on USCIB’s Labor and Employment Committee

ICC & USCIB Customs and Trade Facilitation Symposium: Finding Solutions to Cross-Border Challenges

Published on November 10, 2014

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February 22-24, 2015

The Four Seasons Hotel | Miami, Florida, USA

 

Limiting cross-border friction is increasingly vital to smooth the flow of trade and boost competitive­ness for all business, especially for small and medium sized businesses and emerging industry sectors. This conference brings business, govern­ment, international organizations and operational customs and trade experts together from the world over for an important dialogue on the most effec­tive means to ease the movement of goods and services between countries along supply chains.

Topics Will Include:
  • Best regional practices and global cooperation on
    • single window initiatives
    • de minimis
    • intellectual property rights, and
    • supply chain solutions
  • Balancing security and trade facilitation
  • WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement: implementation and challenges
Click Here for the Program

 

Full List of Confirmed Speakers:
  • Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO)
  • Yi Xiaozhun, Deputy Director General of the WTO
  • Gil Kerlikowske, Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
  • Harold McGraw, Chairman, McGraw Hill Financial [now S&P Global]; Chairman, ICC; Chairman, USCIB
  • John Danilovich, Secretary General, ICC
  • Mark Linscott, Assistant United States Trade Representative for WTO and Multilateral Affairs
  • Peter Robinson, President and CEO, USCIB
  • Brenda Brockman Smith, Assistant Commissioner, Office of International Trade, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
  • Lev Kubiak, Assistant Director, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations, International Operations, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
  • Virginia Brown, Director, Office of Trade and Regulatory Reform, USAID
  • Evdokia Moïsé, Senior Trade Policy Analyst,Trade and Agriculture Directorate, OECD
  • James Bacchus, Chair, Global Practice Group, Greenberg Traurig; Chair, ICC Commission on Trade and Investment Policy
  • Judy Lao, Head of Trade Facilitation Programs, Office of Western Hemisphere, Pathways to Prosperity Program, U.S. Department of Commerce; International Trade Administration Market Access and Compliance
  • Luis Eduardo Lara Gutierrez, General Administrator for Foreign Trade Audit, Mexican Tax Administration
  • Dan Duncan, Senior Director, International Affairs, McGraw Hill Financial
  • Gilbert Lee Sandler, Founding Member, Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg P.A.
  • Maritza Castro, Vice President, Head of Customs and Regulatory Affairs, Americas Region, DHL Express USA
  • Oliver Peltzer, Vice Chair, ICC Commission on Customs and Trade Facilitation; Partner, Debelstein & Passehl
  • Frank Reynolds, President, International Projects
  • Rafael Farromeque, Senior Specialist, Head of the Logistics Practice for Latin America, Vice Presidency of Infrastructure, Development Bank of Latin America (CAF)
  • Antoni Estevadeordal, Manager, Integration and Trade Sector, Inter-American Development Bank
  • Eugene Laney, Head of International Trade, DHL
  • Norm Schenk, Vice President, Global Customs Policy & Public Affairs, UPS; Chairman, ICC Customs and Trade Facilitation Commission
  • Ruth Snowden, Executive Director, CIFFA, International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations
  • Jerry Cook, Vice President, Government and  Trade Relations, Hanesbrands; Chair, USCIB Customs and Trade Facilitation Committee
  • Leroy J. Sheffer, Partner, International Trade Advisory Services
  • Cindy Duncan, Senior Vice President, Trade Services, USCIB
  • Simon Schofield, Vice President – European Tax and Corporate Audit, Samsung Electronics
  • Michael Heldebrand, Principal, EY Global Trade, Ernst & Young LLP
  • William Bullard OBE, Corporate Relations Director, DIAGEO WestLAC
  • Sarah Thorn, Senior Director, International Trade, Wal-Mart
  • Denise Coutinho, Senior Manager, Global Trade Strategy, Global Tax and Customs, Cisco
  • Darcy Price, Director, Value Chain Applications, Oracle
Registration Information:
  • You can register online by following this link, or by filling out a registration form.
  • Registration costs are:
    • $550 for USCIB Customs and Trade Facilitation Committee and ICC Customs and Trade Facilitation Commission Members
      • Contact Diana Jack for the Committee and Commission discount code.
    • $600 for all other USCIB and ICC Members
      • Contact Diana Jack for the USCIB and ICC member discount code.
    • $675 early-bird special for non-members – ends January 16
    • $750 regular price for non-members
  • For more information:
Hotel Rooms at the Four Seasons are Sold Out!  Click Here for a List of Nearby Hotels
NEW! NCBFAA NEI Credit
  • NCBFAA NEINow eligible for National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA) Educational Institute (NEI) Credit!
  • Earn 11.5 CCS or CES credits.
  • You must bring your CCS/CES ID number in order to attend.
Sponsorship Information:
  • For information on how you can become a sponsor:
Sponsored by:
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EY
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With Support From:
Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A.
Enterprise Florida
FCBF
Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce
The Journal of Commerce
Presented by:
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ICC & USCIB Customs and Trade Facilitation Symposium: Finding Solutions to Cross-Border Challenges — Registration Instructions

Published on November 10, 2014

ICC AND USCIB

CUSTOMS & TRADE FACILITATION SYMPOSIUM

FINDING SOLUTIONS TO CROSS-BORDER CHALLENGES

 

Registration Information

 Online Registration:
  • If you received an email invitation from USCIB to one of our events, you already have an Events Portal Account. To activate your account, go to register online and click the “Forgot Password” link to receive your password via email. Then login and register.
  • If your e-mail address is not recognized, you will have to create an account with USCIB, by filling out the Online Events Registration Login Request form.
  • There are discount codes available to the following groups:
    • USCIB Customs and Trade Facilitation Committee members
    • ICC Customs Commission members
    • All other USCIB members
    • All other ICC members
  • Please contact Diana Jack at 202-617-3156 or djack@uscib.org to receive the appropriate discount code if you fall into one of the categories listed above, or if you experience problems registering online.

 

Click here to register online.

 

Registration Form:
  • If you prefer register by fax, email or standard mail, please click here to fill out the registration form.

 

Confirmation emails are sent to registrants shortly after the registration has been received.

If you think you have registered but have not received a confirmation email, please contact Diana Jack at (202) 617-3156 or djack@uscib.org to confirm that your registration has been processed.

Investment Tops BIACs Agenda

Published on November 6, 2014

4877_image002Revision of the OECD Policy Framework for Investment

Since 2006, the OECD Policy Framework for Investment (PFI) has provided a comprehensive and systematic approach for governments to implement specific policy reforms to create a robust and competitive environment for domestic and foreign investment. The PFI has been widely used for the OECD’s country-specific investment policy reviews, and has served as a reference point for investment promotion agencies and donors.

To reflect the developments that have reshaped the global investment landscape, such as the emergence of new major outward investors, the spread of global value chains, and growing investment protectionism, the PFI is currently being updated. A first discussion, including on five revised draft chapters, took place in October back-to-back with the Investment Committee meeting. A more extensive consultation is planned for December 2 when the OECD Advisory Group on Investment and Development will organize a half-day stakeholder consultation. In the meantime, the BIAC Development Task Force will discuss the PFI revision in its meeting on November 6. 

BIAC Raises Concerns about Threats to Investment

On multiple occasions, BIAC emphasized the importance of OECD’s ground-breaking work on fostering an open and conducive investment climate as a fundamental prerequisite for job creation and economic growth.  At the same time, business observes a proliferation of restrictions on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) as well as worrying developments in the area of investment protection. Of particular concern to business is that Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) and Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS), which are crucial to mitigate risk in international investment decisions, have come increasingly under attack. Business needs the OECD to provide governments with objective and fact-based analysis, foster dialogue among member and non-member countries and highlight the importance of adequate protection of investments as a priority.

BIAC raised these concerns during its consultation with the OECD Investment Committee in October and will reiterate them at the annual consultation with OECD Ambassadors in January. In October, the chair of the BIAC Investment Committee also represented BIAC at the UNCTAD World Investment Forum, highlighting BIAC’s concern in the session on reform of the international investment agreement system and ISDS. BIAC will continue to urge the OECD to address and underline the importance of investment protection and market openness as priorities for growth and development.

Staff contact: Eva Hampl

More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee

Remembering Clifford Henry a Champion of Corporate Responsibility

Published on November 4, 2014
Clifford Henry (left) with Professor John Ruggie of Harvard, then the UN special rapporteur for business and human rights, in 2010.
Clifford Henry (left) with Professor John Ruggie of Harvard, then the UN special rapporteur for business and human rights, in 2010.

USCIB marks with great sadness the death of Clifford Henry, who chaired our Corporate Responsibility Committee since its inception and demonstrated a lifelong commitment to bettering the lives of others.

Clifford passed away on October 25 at age 64 following a long illness. A 35-year veteran of Procter & Gamble, he most recently served as the company’s associate director of global sustainability.

USCIB President Peter Robinson and USCIB Senior Counsel Ronnie Goldberg, both of whom worked closely with Clifford, issued a joint statement of condolence.

“Clifford’s death leaves an enormous hole in our organization, as well as in our hearts,” they said. “He could always be relied upon to contribute his time, his copious energy, and his invaluable advice, experience and wisdom to our work. He did so with humor and optimism, and in recent years with remarkable courage. It is an understatement to say he will be missed.”

Services for Clifford Henry were held on November 1 at Mueller Funeral Home in Mason, Ohio. Donations in his name may be made to the Bone Marrow Foundation and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Friends and colleagues of Clifford are encouraged to contribute to an online guestbook.

Added Adam Greene, senior advisor in the ILO’s Bureau for Employers’ Activities, who worked with Clifford for many years as USCIB’s vice president of labor and corporate responsibility, “He was a true friend and leaves us all much better off for having known him.”

B20 Urges Turkish G20 Presidency to Focus on Job Creation

Published on November 4, 2014

4876_image002The G20 Employment Taskforce met today at the International Labor Organization to reflect on the expectations of labor and employment ministers and government sherpas in the run up to the handover of the G20 Presidency to Turkey on December 1.  Ronnie Goldberg, USCIB’s senior counsel, is participating in the taskforce.

Speaking for the B20 Human Capital Taskforce, International Organization of Employers President Daniel Funes de Rioja, and Erol Kiresepi, vice president of the Turkish Confederation of Employers’ Organizations (TISK) and member of the Turkish G20 Steering Board, outlined the expectations of the global business community.

Funes reiterated the longstanding employers’ call for structural reforms to many G20 labor markets, as well as the ongoing need to bridge the skills gap. These are “fundamental” to getting people back to work and overcoming the barriers to hiring.

“The B20 Human Capital Taskforce calls on governments to remove the barriers to offering diverse forms of employment,” said Funes. He went on to remind attendees that, despite a commitment by the G20 to embrace multiple forms of work, monitoring by the IOE and BIAC had revealed that eight G20 countries failed to take initiatives to fulfill this commitment, and four countries had restricted recourse to flexible forms of work. Disappointingly for business, the September labor ministerial in Melbourne had not renewed the earlier commitment.

When it came to the skills gap, the UK was cited for its successful reforms to the apprenticeship system, but there is “still a long way to go in some countries”. Funes recalled the work being done by the IOE-BIAC-initiated Global Apprenticeships Network (GAN) which provides a unique platform for businesses to share best practices on work-readiness programs that address both the skills mismatch and the youth unemployment crisis.

Looking forward to the Turkish presidency, Kiresepi called for a renewed focus on job by promoting an enabling environment for business, and particularly SMEs. He also welcomed his government’s proposal to include the demographic challenge on the agenda, which he likened to “a ticking time bomb”, threatening to jeopardize growth and employment if not properly addressed – including through “effective labor mobility policies.”

Staff contact: Ronnie Goldberg

More on USCIB’s Labor and Employment Committee

ICC Warns Against Double Taxation in BEPS Action Plan

Published on November 4, 2014

4879_image002The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has expressed concern that the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Action Plan on combating Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (“BEPS”), mandated by the G20, may inadvertently incur severe collateral damage on compliant taxpaying companies of all sizes as a result of well-meaning measures undertaken unilaterally by states to mitigate double-non-taxation.

While ICC fully supports the BEPS Action Plan and actively engages with the OECD and the UN on the issues at hand, concern was raised during back-to-back meetings with the United Nations (UN) Committee on International Cooperation in Tax Matters at UN Headquarters in Geneva last week.

Stressing that taxation systems should be sound and stable – to encourage transparency, efficiency and predictability and to incentivize long-term investment, job creation and economic growth – ICC advises governments and policymakers to take the following into consideration:

  1. ICC strongly believes that several of the 15 BEPS Action Points are interdependent and recommends an overall perspective and coordination of the various recommendations – including the 2014 deliverables of Phase 1 in Phase 2 of the project.
  2.  ICC calls for a coordinated implementation of the combined deliverables of the G20/BEPS project on a multilateral basis with a consensus approach in order for the solutions to be consistent and uniformly applied on an international level. ICC therefore cautions against implementation of domestic tax legislation through unilateral and divergent actions which risk leading to disparate rules, increased complexity and double taxation.
  3. ICC urges mitigating the increased unavoidable and foreseeable risk of double taxation via a solid dispute resolution mechanism, with mandatory agreements forcing competent authorities to agree on how to tax certain transactions, or simplified, how to split the ‘tax cake.’

ICC strongly opposes tax fraud and tax evasion but warns that it is crucial to distinguish these illegal activities from the use of lawful methods of tax planning and tax management, provided they are aligned with commercial and economic activities.

More on ICC’s website.

Staff contact: Carol Doran Klein

More on USCIB’s Taxation Committee

USCIB Gears Up for APEC Summit With Business Priorities

Published on October 31, 2014
More: Boost for APEC Agenda on Marketing

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a forum comprised of 21 Pacific Rim member economies that promotes free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region. In the lead-up to APEC’s November meetings in Beijing, which will close out China’s host year, USCIB welcomes the committed partnerships that APEC sustained with the private sector to address the region’s complex economic challenges.
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a forum comprised of 21 Pacific Rim member economies that promotes free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region. In the lead-up to APEC’s November meetings in Beijing, which will close out China’s host year, USCIB welcomes the committed partnerships that APEC sustained with the private sector to address the region’s complex economic challenges.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a forum comprised of 21 Pacific Rim member economies that promotes free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region. In the lead-up to APEC’s November meetings in Beijing, which will close out China’s host year, USCIB welcomes the committed partnerships that APEC sustained with the private sector to address the region’s complex economic challenges.

Throughout 2014, USCIB advanced a wide range of policy discussions through APEC to promote a pro-business agenda on chemicals regulation, advertising self-regulation, data privacy, customs, women in the economy and local content requirements.

USCIB engaged in several APEC working groups, including the Chemical Dialogue, Customs Business Dialogue and the Electronic Commerce Steering Group, to encourage discussions between governments and the private sector on topics of interest to business.

Next week, USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson will attend the APEC CEO Summit in Beijing, China from November 8 to 10 as a business delegate and representative of the U.S. APEC Business Coalition along with Helen Medina, USCIB senior director of product policy and innovation, and USCIB member company CEOs and executives. Robinson and Medina will discuss USCIB’s work and members’ APEC priorities, and will join with other coalition partners to pursue common business objectives.

The APEC forum is a valuable space for business to engage with the region’s political leaders, and USCIB has assumed a leadership role in APEC on behalf of our members. At the CEO Summit this year, USCIB will organize a breakfast event on November 10 through the U.S. APEC Business Coalition to discuss the role of global value chains (GVCs) in strengthening economic integration across Pacific Rim countries. The event will feature private sector representatives and APEC government officials who will offer their perspectives on how policies and regulations impact investment decisions, supply-chain routing, cost efficiency, and key ingredients for climbing the GVC-ladder. Please find the current draft agenda here.

USCIB has also consulted with members engaged in APEC’s work to develop top-level messaging for the CEO Summit and related meetings in Beijing, as well as an APEC priorities document ahead of the 2015 APEC Summit to be hosted by the Philippines.

On October 14, the USCIB APEC Working Group met with Ed Brzytwa, Director for APEC Affairs, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and Bob Wang, U.S. Senior Official for APEC, U.S. Department of State, where members voiced their thoughts on priority areas including:

  • the integration of global value chains throughout the APEC region;
  • the importance of digital trade in economic development and issues regarding local content;
  • alignment to international best practices in advertising and the promotion of self-regulatory bodies (see below);
  • intellectual property rights enforcement and capacity building;
  • rule of law and ethical business practices in supply chains (child labor and human trafficking); and
  • the importance of energy security and strategic infrastructure to sustainable development.

Additionally, USCIB plans to meet with Deputy Secretary of Commerce Bruce Andrews to discuss USCIB’s APEC work and priorities.

More information on USCIB’s APEC activities will be available after the summit concludes next week.

Staff contact: Rachel Spence and Helen Medina
More on USCIB’s APEC Working Group

Boost for APEC Agenda on Marketing

Earlier this month, USCIB and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) convened a well-attended roundtable in Washington, DC, on moving forward with the promotion of marketing and advertising standards work in APEC. There are strong signals that the Chinese government (this year’s APEC host) is pushing for leaders at the November APEC summit in Beijing to endorse the APEC action agenda on advertising standards, which was agreed by ministers at the August senior officials meeting.

Among other things, the action agenda calls for APEC economies to develop principles to use in constructing their ad standards regimes, as well as an advertising regulatory checklist of key elements in a regulatory (including self-regulatory) framework. USCIB and GMA members discussed with U.S. government representatives what industry would like to see next. They agreed to send a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman laying out the case for additional APEC work in this area in order to facilitate cross-border trade and investment in the APEC region.

Staff contact: Jonathan Huneke

More on USCIB’s Marketing and Advertising Committee

ICC Identifies Business Priorities for Digital Economy

Published on October 23, 2014
L-R: Eric Loeb, chair of USCIB’s ICT Committee and chair of ICC’s Task Force on Internet and Telecommunication, and Christoph Steck, co-chair of ICC”s Task Force on Internet and Communications.
L-R: Eric Loeb, chair of USCIB’s ICT Committee and chair of ICC’s Task Force on Internet and Telecommunication, and Christoph Steck, co-chair of ICC”s Task Force on Internet and Communications.

Gathering 34 business experts representing companies and organizations leading the International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC) policy work on information and communication technologies (ICTs), the biannual meeting of the ICC Commission on the Digital Economy identified next steps on priority topics for global business including Internet governance, privacy and cyber-security, and trade facilitation – and linking these specific priorities to overall strategic ICC messages. The event took place at ICC global headquarters in Paris on September 30 and October 1.

In remarks to the commission, ICC Secretary General John Danilovich said ICC plays a leadership role on behalf of world business in the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) through the ICC Business Action to Support the Information Society (BASIS).

“While attending the last IGF in Turkey, I was able to see first-hand some of the issues carried by this commission and how, through your work and that of the BASIS initiative, ICC is able to lead global business engagement in the forum,” he said.

In the context of a strategic discussion on Internet governance, Alhadeff and Eric Loeb, chair of the commission’s Task Force on Internet and Telecommunications and chair of USCIB’s ICT Committee, suggested that the preparation of the commission’s Global Action Plan – a compilation of business positions on digital economy policies – should strive to highlight the relevance of these issues to all sectors, as well as their relevance to the work of other ICC commissions and top-line business messages.

Staff contact: Barbara Wanner

More on USCIB’s Information and Communications Technology Committee