News Stories Archives

SDG Countdown: Ensuring Energy for All

Published on August 26, 2015

Power_lines

The United Nations has embarked on an ambitious effort to define forward-looking objectives – the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – to address global economic, social and health challenges. This exercise represents a unique opportunity to mobilize the international community around the importance of public sector-led growth and a more robust, inclusive global economy that makes significant strides towards eradicating poverty and improving the lives of people everywhere.

USCIB’s “Business for 2030” website showcases the private sector’s contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Discover how U.S. companies are helping to achieve Goal 7 by ensuring energy for everyone. Our site features examples of contributions from USCIB members including Bechtel, Citi, PPL and many more!

Read more about Goal 7: Ensuring Energy for All

USCIB Promotes Regulatory Cooperation at Third APEC Senior Officials Meeting

Published on August 21, 2015
L-R: Alexa Burr (ACC), Kate Clemans (Crowell and Moring), Christian Richter (Nickel Institute), Andrew Liu (Chemours), Derek Swick (API), Marianne Heinrich (B&P), Helen Medina (USCIB), Don Wilke (Procter & Gamble), Dusanka Sabic (Accord), Chandra Dantam (Procter & Gamble)
L-R: Alexa Burr (ACC), Kate Clemans (Crowell and Moring), Christian Richter (Nickel Institute), Andrew Liu (Chemours), Derek Swick (API), Marianne Heinrich (B&P), Helen Medina (USCIB), Don Wilke (Procter & Gamble), Dusanka Sabic (Accord), Chandra Dantam (Procter & Gamble)

Central to the modern economy, chemicals and products they are used in are traded widely across borders. Because they add value to so many different consumer goods, chemicals are a staple economic building block for the member countries of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.

Regulatory cooperation and good regulatory practices was the focus of this year’s third APEC Senior Officials Meeting (SOM III) hosted in the Philippines. Trade officials, regulators and industry representatives from the APEC region met for 3 days to share information, discuss various challenges facing the chemicals industry and agree on action items to address issues of mutual concern.

Helen Medina, USCIB’s vice president for product policy and innovation, attended SOM III from August 25-29, representing USCIB member views at several important meetings, including the APEC regulators forum, the Chemical Dialogue and a workshop on good regulatory practices.

In addition to Medina, other USCIB members attending those meetings included representatives from the American Chemistry Council, Boeing, American Petroleum Institute, British Petroleum, Chemours, Crowell & Moring, Nickel Institute, P&G and the Society of Chemical Manufactures and Affiliates.

Participants at these meetings agreed to work on the following items:

  • A checklist to promote implementation of the Chemical Dialogue Best Practice Principles
  • Outreach to the APEC Economic Committee for further cooperation, including proposing a potential chemical-specific panel during the EC’s Good Regulatory Practice, which will take place in Peru in 2016.
  • A new document outlining the Chemical Industry Priorities for the Negotiation of Regional and Bilateral Free Trade Agreements
  • A new Capacity Building Workshop related to Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals

15th-CHEMICAL-DIALOGUEAt the APEC Chemical Dialogue, USCIB also brought to the table two new ideas to help bolster regulatory cooperation and streamline customs procedures in the APEC region: 1) a self-certification customs form, in which an importer of goods would self-certify that their imports comply, and 2) a regional capacity-building project related to the theme of  “Analogue/Read-across use in Risk Assessment.”

 

USCIB’s Klein to Speak in Canada as OECD Plans Release of BEPS Deliverables

Published on August 10, 2015
Carol Doran Klein (USCIB) at the 2015 OECD International Tax Conference.
Carol Doran Klein (USCIB) at the 2015 OECD International Tax Conference.

As governments and the business community get ready for the release of the OECD’s proposed national actions in its controversial Base Erosion and Profit-Shifting (BEPS) initiative, USCIB Vice President and International Tax Counsel Carol Doran Klein has agreed to be a keynote speaker at a October 15-16 conference in Toronto on global transfer pricing and related tax issues, including BEPS.

The conference is being organized by Bloomberg BNA and Baker & McKenzie. Klein is expected to provide a business insider’s assessment of the BEPS deliverables.

The OECD has announced that it plans to unveil the proposed BEPS deliverables at this October’s G20 finance ministers meeting in Lima, Peru. Last month, USCIB and two other associations sent a letter to letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew citing concerns with BEPS and noting the threat of double taxation to global trade and investment. The BEPS project was a primary focus of USCIB’s annual tax conference with the OECD in June.

BIAC, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD, said its member organizations fully appreciated that this is only the end of the “first half,” of the BEPS project, with national implementation constituting the “second half.”

“It is crucial that recommendations not only protect countries’ tax bases, and the ability of governments to raise revenue, but also protect and encourage cross border trade and investment by providing a predictable fiscal environment, that will help create jobs and growth,” BIAC said.

Progress in Digital Economy Policy in Run Up to OECD 2016 Ministerial

Published on August 10, 2015

Computers_loresAt the end of June, the OECD Committee on Digital Economy Policy (CDEP) discussed progress and updates on several initiatives of the committee and related working parties. A new landmark publication, the Digital Economy Outlook, was launched and CDEP and BIAC conferred on key themes and outputs for the 2016 Digital Economy Ministerial to take place in Cancún, Mexico, in July 2016. The participants had an opportunity to discuss the companion document to the revision of the OECD Recommendation of the Council on Digital Security Risk Management for Economic and Social Prosperity to be formally launched during the next CDEP meeting from November 30 to December 4, and presented during the 2016 Ministerial.

The CDEP Ministerial meeting will aim to promote policy dialogue on prominent issues and define the mandate for the committee’s future work. As the event approaches, BIAC members are participating in shaping the agenda, arranging events such as a corresponding BIAC Business Day and a “Hack-a-thon,” an event designed to engage with young programmers and app developers on creative solutions for the future of the digital economy.

USCIB’s Global Network Weighs In: B20 Employment Recommendations

Published on August 10, 2015

g20As the Turkish presidency moves to its final, decisive phase as this year’s G20 host country, the International Organization of Employers (IOE) and the Business and Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC) to the OECD have contributed extensively to B20 work on labor and employment.

On September 4-5, the G20 labor ministers will meet in Ankara, and on 15 and 16 November the G20 Leaders’ Summit will take place in Antalya. It is crucial the business recommendations are reflected in the outcome documents of these events. Ronnie Goldberg, USCIB’s senior counsel, will attend the labor ministerial in September.

The B20 Employment Task Force, co-chaired by IOE President Daniel Funes de Rioja, proposes three main recommendations:

    1. Advance a business-friendly environment to create employment opportunities
    2. Increase participation of youth and women in the labor force by making labor markets more dynamic and inclusive
    3. Develop and finance programs aimed at reducing skills mismatches in an era of rapid technological change and innovation

Read the complete B20 Employment Recommendations.

While USCIB’s global network has already engaged in extensive advocacy work at G20 level, the recommendations also need to be reinforced vis-à-vis national governments well ahead of the G20 Labor Ministerial and Leaders’ Summit. Business leaders are urged to contact their governments and advocate for the uptake of these recommendations

As part of the B20/L20 (trade unions) work stream, the IOE will also sign a joint statement entitled “Jobs, Growth and Decent Work” during the Ankara B20 Conference calling on G20 governments to:

  • Determinedly tackle youth unemployment
  • Pursue macro-economic policies that promote employment
  • Make a reality of the 2014 Brisbane target of reducing by 25% the gender gap in employment by 2025
  • Promote transition to formality and implement the Recommendation on informality adopted by the 2015 ILC

Read the full B20/L20 Statement.

The B20/L20 fully endorse the IOE/BIAC/TISK–ITUC/TUAC projects on promoting in national seminars the joint understanding of quality apprenticeships to foster implementation, and on strengthening occupational safety and health (OSH) through supporting better implementation of standards through capacity building of the social partners on prevention, the creation of modern OSH frameworks and of a best practice data base.

The B20/L20 argue that business and labor must play a key role in the shaping of economic and social policy, committing themselves to realizing a project on a joint understanding of the effects of technological change on employment and skills. A Roundtable is being organised by B20/L20 in Ankara on September 5 on this topic. Representatives of ILO, OECD, the Chinese G20 presidency and the social partners will make key contributions to this high-level event.

TPP Ministers Make Progress, But Fail to Seal the Deal

Published on August 3, 2015

Maui_sunset_resizedNegotiators from the 12 Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) parties, meeting in Maui last week, failed to hammer out the final text of a TPP agreement, although they did say they made substantial progress on a number of important issues.

According to reports, negotiators could not bridge final differences over several longstanding disagreements, including Canadian dairy market access, Japanese barriers to rice and other agricultural imports, automotive supply chain issues, and U.S. demands for strong intellectual property protections, including for a new generation of pharmaceuticals. Japanese Economy Minister Akira Amari said that trade ministers would seek to meet again before the end of August, and that only one more meeting would be necessary to finalize a TPP deal.

The U.S. Coalition for TPP, which groups a large number of leading companies and industry associations, including USCIB, issued a statement that read in part: “The TPP represents an important step toward greater cooperation and economic engagement among the 12 partners of the TPP in the Asia-Pacific region, and the United States must continue to pursue the closure of negotiations. We applaud U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and his team for their work on the TPP and we are hopeful that the progress made during this round has built the necessary momentum for the swift closure of negotiations.”

Throughout the TPP negotiations, USCIB and the coalition have emphasized that it is more important to get the most ambitious, highest-quality TPP agreement than to meet any artificial deadlines.

 

USCIB Opposes Stringent Chemicals Regulations in China

Published on July 30, 2015

Test_tubesOn July 30, USCIB submitted comments to China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection expressing concern with draft language in China’s recently revised guidance on new chemical substances. New language suggests that any new chemical substance in an article that could potentially result in exposure to the environment or humans will be subject to full chemical notification obligations.

USCIB noted that this new requirement would be unnecessarily burdensome, imposing exorbitant costs on importers of articles. Importers would face challenges in obtaining information about the presence of chemicals in articles in order to assess potential compliance. This requirement would be imposed even if there is no corresponding benefit to the protection of human health or the environment.

“In others countries, chemical registration or new chemical notification requirements are much more limited with respect to chemicals in articles,” said Helen Medina, USCIB’s vice president for product policy and innovation. “It is not technically or economically feasible to test every article for every chemical that might be contained in each article.”

USCIB members support efforts to protect human health and the environment, and comply with a variety of national regulations including those specific to chemicals.  For this reason, USCIB is actively engaged in the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM), chemicals and green economy discussions at the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and chemicals deliberations at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) chemical dialogue.

ICC Chairman, Chinese Vice Premier Strengthen Business Ties

Published on July 30, 2015
L-R: Terry McGraw (ICC) and Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang
L-R: Terry McGraw (ICC) and Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang

International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and USCIB Chairman Terry McGraw met with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang in Beijing on July 29 to underscore the importance of incorporating the voice of Chinese companies into global economic governance forums.

McGraw held a series of meetings with Chinese government leaders and business officials seeking to secure the engagement of Chinese companies in ICC’s work to promote cross border trade and investment.

“ICC is the world business organization and our mission is to represent the views of international business to policymakers in key forums such as the G20, the World Trade Organization, the World Customs Organization and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change,” he said. “China has the world’s second largest GDP and is critical player in the world economy. It is therefore essential that Chinese companies are involved in ICC’s international policy-making process.”

Wang welcomed McGraw’s support and spoke positively of the indispensable role played by ICC in promoting economic growth, global trade and investment, and in strengthening global economic governance.

“We wish to step up our cooperation between Chinese companies and ICC,” said Wang. “China is willing to draw upon your suggestions and I hope ICC will play an active role in China’s reform and increasing exchanges with Chinese business to create more opportunities for foreign cooperation with Chinese companies.”

Wang said the China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC) – which houses ICC China – will be responsible for maintaining the close and frequent interactions with ICC.

McGraw also pointed to China’s upcoming G20 presidency, beginning on December 1, and explained that Chinese business will have an increasingly important opportunity to help shape the G20 policy agenda. McGraw shared current Business 20 (B20) priorities under development for the G20 Summit in Antalya, Turkey in November, highlighting trade, investment, infrastructure, human capital and education as priorities for G20 consideration.

“ICC has historically conveyed business priorities to G20 Leaders, and has served as a strategic partner to national B20 hosts to develop policy recommendations for G20 consideration,” said McGraw. “ICC is committed to supporting the Chinese government and the Chinese business community in its preparations for hosting the G20 and we are investing now in our long-run work plan with ICC China and CCOIC.”

Jiang Zengwei, chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) joined McGraw in the meeting with Wang.

“We highly value the role of ICC,” said Jiang. “As we grow the participation of Chinese companies in CCOIC, we will work closely with ICC for support on educating Chinese businesses and incorporating their views in critical international policy forums, including trade, investment and intellectual property.”

McGraw and Jiang agreed to a long-term program, featuring a growing number of ICC meetings in China, to develop CCOIC contributions to ICC international business policy.

ICC’s delegation to Beijing also included Cherie Nursalim, vice chairman of GITI Group; Sara Dai, president of Novozymes China; Zhang Yanling, Bank of China and member of ICC Executive Board; Cindy Braddon, vice president for international affairs, McGraw Hill Financial [now S&P Global]; Jeffrey Hardy, director, ICC G20 CEO Advisory Group; and Robert Milliner, senior director, Wesfarmers and B20 Australia Sherpa.

 

 

USCIB Joins Other Business Groups in Defense of IPRs

Published on July 29, 2015

green_lightbulbThe protection of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) is a central enabling condition for innovation, stimulating investment and disseminating new greener technologies and knowledge. But in recent years, IPR protection is being challenged in a range of international forums, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the UN Post-2015 Development Agenda.  Critics assert that IP protection increases costs and impedes access.

USCIB joined eight other business associations in signing a letter to U.S. cabinet officials calling upon the U.S. government to resist “persistent efforts” by a small group of countries and NGOs to undermine American innovation for environmental technologies. The letter focuses on major international policy decisions that will be reached covering climate change and a wide array of other economic, social and environmental policy priorities this year in New York and Paris. It underscores the importance of avoiding inclusion of IP protection in the Paris climate agreement, and discouraging the proliferation of bureaucratic and redundant technology forums.

“These countries assert that environmental technology and other manufacturing IPRs prevent technology diffusion and undermine socio-economic development – without any evidence, in the face of practical experience and despite a vast body of academic literature to the contrary,” the letter stated, which was sent on July 29 to Secretary of State John Kerry, USTR Michael Froman and Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker.

“In reality, the development of effective IP frameworks that apply to environmental technology IPRs, including manufacturing IPRs, has been shown to facilitate the development of new solutions to environmental and development challenges and, especially, their adaptation and

Read the full multi-association letter.

USCIB advocates for polices that enhance innovation, such as IPRs, as vehicles that support and encourage environmental and development goals.

Find out more about USCIB’s engagement with the UN climate talks and the UN Post-2015 Development Agenda.

USCIB, Members, Gov’t Reps Discuss China Engagement with U.S., OECD

Published on July 28, 2015

Blue sky and white clouds, ancient Chinese architectureOn the heels of both the U.S.-China Strategic & Economic Dialogue (S&ED) and the visit of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to the OECD Headquarters in Paris, USCIB held an important briefing with members to discuss ongoing U.S.-China and OECD-China engagement. USCIB and members met with representatives from several U.S. government agencies, the OECD and the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) on Wednesday, July 22 at Foley & Lardner LLP in Washington, D.C.

Audrey Winter from the USTR China Office, Michael Tracton from the Office of Investment in the State Department’s Economic Bureau and Zhao Li from the Department of Labor discussed outcomes of the S&ED regarding trade, ICT, investment and labor. Tracton also discussed the increasing collaboration between the OECD and China, which is exemplified by the recent agreement of Primer Li and OECD Secretary General Angel Gurría to develop an OECD-China work plan, as well as collaboration on Chinese responsible business conduct.

The second panel included the State Department’s head on conflict minerals, Eileen Kane, who reported out on her recent trip to China, where she met with several Chinese officials and agencies to gain important connections and advance the relationship with China in regard to conflict minerals. Tyler Gillard, head of sector projects and legal adviser in the responsible business conduct unit from the OECD’s Investment Division, also joined by video conference to provide an overview of the OECD’s broader outreach and capacity-building on conflict minerals with the China Chamber of Commerce. Tara Holeman, program director from EICC, discussed the Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative (CFSI), which has been developed in line global standards including the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals and the U.S. Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.