News Stories Archives

ICC: New Anti-Corruption Guide for SMEs

Published on July 28, 2015

new-guide-smes_sourceThe International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has released “Anti-corruption Third Party Due Diligence,” a new guide to help small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) assess and manage corruption risks associated with engaging third party suppliers.

SMEs are often on the receiving end of burdensome due diligence procedures. The new ICC anti-corruption tool inspires businesses to engage in due diligence by creating achievable and manageable goals.

“Corruption hinders economic growth and erodes trust in both businesses and governmental institutions,” said Viviane Schiavi, senior policy manager of the ICC Commission on Corporate Responsibility and Anti-corruption, and co-chair of the B20 Anti-corruption Task Force Training Work Stream. “It remains a major barrier that impacts businesses negatively by increasing the costs of doing business -especially for SMEs – and undermining the quality of both products and services. SMEs are drivers of economic growth in many economies yet often they need relevant training to do their part for responsible supply chains and sustainable growth.”

The ICC guide addresses SMEs’ need for capacity building on integrating global supply chains in an ethical and responsible way. It provides practical advice on how SMEs can cost-effectively conduct due diligence on third parties they engage to perform services on their behalf.”

This new anti-corruption tool is a direct response to the Turkish G20 and B20 efforts to implement concrete actions for private sector integrity, especially to empower SMEs in their fight against corrupt activities. It also supports one of the key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, to be adopted during the UN’s General Assembly in September, which will work towards substantially reducing corruption and bribery in all its forms.

ICC has been a pioneer in the business fight against corruption, and is at the forefront of the development of ethics, anti-corruption and corporate responsibility advocacy codes and guidelines. The new guide will complement ICC’s robust suite of anti-corruption tools, which includes the Ethics and Compliance Training Handbook .

Launch of the Global Employers’ Summit 2015 Website

Published on July 27, 2015

BahrainThe first Global Employers’ Summit of the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) will take place at the invitation of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) on October 6-7, 2015 in Bahrain. 

The Global Employers’ Summit website is now online. Participants are encouraged to register on the website as soon as possible.

Jointly organised by the IOE and BCCI, this prestigious event will be held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Shaikh Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Summit will bring together high-level participants from multinational companies, international organisations, employers’ organisations and institutions, to explore key areas of interest for business including labor mobility across borders, business and human rights, promoting inclusion and diversity, and more.

The event will culminate with the signing of the Bahrain Declaration.

White House, USCIB Members Launch American Business Action on Climate Change Pledge

Published on July 27, 2015

White_HouseUSCIB welcomes the leadership announcements made today at the White House by several of its members, including Coca-Cola, Google, Microsoft, Pepsico, UPS and Walmart as part of the American Business Action on Climate Change Pledge.  These and other USCIB members have been moving ahead to provide innovation, investment and implementation to complement the international community’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate risks under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

USCIB’s President and CEO Peter Robinson called this the most recent proof that U.S. business is in the vanguard of global citizenship in advancing sustainability in the context of energy access and security.  “USCIB is strongly committed to a successful outcome at the Paris conference this December,” he said. “This announcement highlights how critical it is to engineer business into the Paris agreement in order to tap business action and invite business input to inform cost effective policy and practice to address climate change.”

USCIB is the U.S. affiliate of the International Chamber of Commerce and a U.S. partner of the Major Economies Business Forum (BizMEF).  It has represented U.S. business interests in the UNFCCC since 1993.  Please check its climate change website for continuing updates of its climate change positions and plans for COP21.

IOE, IOM, Partner Companies Take Part in Expert Meeting on Ethical Recruitment

Published on July 24, 2015

Two machinists working on machine

The International Organization of Employers (IOE) is deepening its engagement with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on the interface between employment and migration. As part of this, USCIB Senior Counsel (and IOE Regional Vice President for North America) Ronnie Goldberg and IOE Senior Adviser Frederick Muia attended a recent expert meeting on ethical recruitment.

The two day meeting, which was also attended by Cindy Sawyer of The Coca-Cola Company and Annemarie Muntz of Randstad Holding NV, two IOE partner companies, discussed the development of the operational protocol of the International Recruitment Integrity System (IRIS), an international voluntary ethical recruitment framework that will benefit all stakeholders in the labor migration process.

Speaking during the opening session, Goldberg called for a practical operational tool that would recognize, reward and build on the efforts being undertaken by the “good” actors in the recruitment chain and find ways to identify, isolate and hopefully eliminate the bad actors. She noted that companies were taking measures to ensure transparency in their labor supply chain and that all recruitment activities were being performed in accordance with ethical recruitment principles. These efforts are helping companies mitigate the risk of unforeseen links to forced labor, child labor and human trafficking. 

Speaking during the session dedicated to partners of the initiative, Muia underscored the importance of the IOE in enabling member federations and partner companies to have a platform to push for immigration policies that are efficient and transparent so that companies can move skills and talent across borders. Muia also spoke about the need to strengthen government institutions particularly in fragile states. As IRIS was a voluntary initiative it could only compliment government efforts whose role was critical in addressing cases of criminal activity such as human trafficking. 

Muntz, who is also president of the International Confederation of Private Employment Agencies (CIETT), underscored the role of the recruitment industry in self-regulation. She explained how the CIETT code of conduct helps mobilize member companies and associations to promote ethical recruitment practices both at national and international levels. She highlighted the need to continue efforts to promote the ratification of ILO Convention 181 on private employment agencies as it gave these agencies the necessary recognition to carry out their legitimate activities. 

Sawyer focused on the role of multinational enterprises in taking the lead in ethical recruitment of migrant workers and promotion of good employment practices. She gave the example of The Coca-Cola Company that had issued Supplier Guiding Principles that expressly prohibit the use of all forms of forced labor and trafficking.

Hosting European Media, USCIB Makes Case for Ambitious Transatlantic Trade Pact

Published on July 22, 2015

shaunUSCIB’s Washington, D.C. office hosted a diverse group of 10 journalists from around the European Union yesterday for a discussion of the state of transatlantic trade talks. USCIB Vice President Shaun Donnelly provided an in-depth analysis of key issues at stake in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations.

Joined by Eva Hampl, USCIB’s director of investment, trade and financial services, Donnelly emphasized American business’s strong support for an ambitious and comprehensive TTIP agreement that sets high standards in areas such as regulatory cooperation and protection of investments. He also stressed that the negotiating dynamics as well as an ultimate agreement would be different from other U.S. and EU trade pacts, owing to the relative size and sophistication of the economies involved.

“Average tariffs between our two economies are now around three percent,” he observed. “So it’s clear that the ‘easy’ issues of reducing traditional trade barriers have already been tackled. What we need to do now is address the ‘hard’ issues: making our regulatory systems work together to expand trade and investment, streamlining government procurement rules and creating a level playing field with regard to state-owned enterprises.”

Since the beginning of the TTIP negotiations in 2013, the treatment of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) rules in TTIP has emerged as a lightning rod for many in Europe. Donnelly reminded the journalists that ISDS was in fact a European invention, forming a cornerstone of many bilateral investment treaties and free-trade agreements.

“Investment is now a central issue in trade negotiations,” Donnelly stated. “We need strong investment rules in TTIP, both to safeguard reciprocally beneficial FDI and as a benchmark for further agreements with other countries.”

The media roundtable was facilitated by the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Press Center.

USCIB Vice Chair Dennis Nally Begins ICC Leadership Term

Published on July 20, 2015
Frederico Curado (Embraer) and Dennis Nally (PwC)
Dennis Nally (PwC)

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) announced the appointment of Dennis Nally, chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers International (PwC) and vice chairman of USCIB, and  Frederico Curado, president and CEO of Embraer, as ICC vice chairs.

Curado and Nally officially took up their positions on July 1 and join ICC Vice Chair Sunil Mittal following governance changes approved by the ICC World Council last month.

Nally has served as chairman of PwC since 2009. He is an expert on issues affecting the global capital markets and the professional services profession, and also leads many of PwC’s corporate responsibility efforts.

ICC Secretary General John Danilovich said: “We’re delighted to have Curado and Nally onboard and have no doubt that their leadership will further strengthen ICC’s governance and the ability to represent our members’ interests across the globe.”

As a result of governance changes, which included an extension to the serving terms of the ICC Chairmanship, current ICC Chairman Terry McGraw will now serve until 2016.

The ICC World Council meeting also saw five new appointments to the ICC Executive Board. They were: John Denton (Corrs Chambers Westgarth); Daniel Feffer (Suzano); Robert Gutsche (KPMG); Mari Pangestu (former Trade Minister of Indonesia); Yassin Saeed Al Suroor (Al Suroor United Group).

 

Remembering Bill Matteson, a Longtime USCIB Champion

Published on July 20, 2015
William B. Matteson
William B. Matteson

We are saddened to report the passing in May of William B. Matteson, a longtime member and supporter of USCIB who served as vice chairman from 1986 to 1999 and also served as chairman of BIAC, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD.

A native of Westchester County, New York, Bill graduated from Harvard Law School and clerked for Justice Harold Burton in the United States Supreme Court before joining the Debevoise & Plimpton law firm in 1955, where he went on to become partner in 1961. He headed the Paris office of Debevoise from 1973 to 1976 and was presiding partner of the firm from 1988 to 1993.

“Bill was one of the leading corporate lawyers of his generation,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter M. Robinson. “He brought great intelligence to his work with USCIB. But more than anything, he was a great friend to the organization, someone who inspired good will and admiration by the power of his own example.”

Ronnie Goldberg, senior counsel with USCIB and a longtime head of policy and program, added: “Bill was a quiet presence. It was easy to underestimate him – until he spoke. Listening to Bill summarize a meeting or present an issue amounted to a master class in both policy and presentation. He was a generous host and a patient and wise counselor. I feel both fortunate and honored to have worked with him.”

Our sincere condolences go out to the Matteson family, including his wife of almost 65 years, Marilee, and to Bill’s former colleagues at Debevoise and throughout the USCIB and BIAC communities. Donations in his name may be made to the Sconset Trust, P.O. Box 821, Siasconset, MA 02564 for conservation efforts on Nantucket Island. A service is planned there later this summer.

FFD3 Emphasizes Enhanced Role for Private Sector

Published on July 20, 2015

USCIB and its global network have welcomed the conclusion of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD3), as the outcome emphasizes an enhanced role for the private sector in the United Nations Post-2015 Development Agenda. FfD3 formally concluded on July 16 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia after three days of negotiations to agree on a new global financing framework to support sustainable development. The final text—known as the Addis Ababa Action Agenda—sets out  the means of implementation, including technology, domestic resource mobilization and blended finance and investment for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In a letter to Ambassador Lisa Kubiske of the U.S. State Department, dated July 7, USCIB’s President and CEO, Peter Robinson stated that a successful FfD3 would “amplify the opportunity to catalyze private initiative and investment to advance sustainable development and economic growth.  It will be actionable and practical for governments and business; it will synergize with the global market place and provide opportunities to advance entrepreneurship in support of shared prosperity.”  In that letter, Robinson also raised USCIB’s concerns with some aspects of the Addis outcome, relating to taxation and the proposed technology facilitation mechanism in terms of its role vis-à-vis protection of intellectual property.

USCIB played a central role in marshaling business input into FfD3, having worked actively with members and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) to ensure that the private sector’s voice was heard in Addis. USCIB and its members have engaged on several occasions with the U.S. negotiating team, and USCIB Vice President Ariel Meyerstein met with the co-facilitators of the FfD3 process as part of the Business Steering Committee for Financing for Development, chaired by the ICC Permanent Representative to the UN, Louise Kantrow.

USCIB was instrumental in organizing the conference’s landmark Business Forum on July 14. USCIB lined up an impressive array of member speakers for the business forum to share their insights about investing in emerging markets, including Jay Collins, vice chairman of corporate investment banking at Citi; Peter Sullivan, head of the Africa public sector group at Citi; Walt M. MacNee, executive vice chairman of MasterCard; Elaine Weidman, vice president for sustainability and corporate responsibility at Ericsson; and Jay Ireland, CEO of GE Africa.

“We welcome the Addis agreement as an important step towards realizing a more sustainable and prosperous future for us all,” said International Chamber of Commerce Secretary General John Danilovich. “By establishing a framework that seeks to harness private sector investment, we’ve seen a major leap forward in the international community’s approach to development cooperation.” (Read ICC Secretary General John Danilovich’s letter to the Financial Times on enabling trade for development.)

The private sector and other development institutions and donor countries led the way in a number of areas that went far beyond the confines of the Outcome Document. Several blended finance initiatives were announced, including the Sustainable Development Investment Partnership, which will try to unlock private capital for development, and Convergence, an online platform for developing a pipeline of projects ripe for investment and the exchange of information and capacity building. In addition, the European Union announced that it would add $2.8 billion to Power Africa, an initiative spearheaded by the U.S. government and private sector companies and other partners in sub-Saharan Africa to add more than 30,000 megawatts (MW) of cleaner, more efficient electricity generation capacity as well as increase electricity access by adding 60 million new home and business connections. Other major international financial institutions announced plans to make $400 billion available in the next three years to finance the sustainable development goals.

The conference also provided some cliffhanging moments of concern to business as a proposal by developing countries to elevate the UN tax committee to an intergovernmental body with universal membership nearly brought the conference to a stalemate. The proposal was ultimately rejected, but some in civil society were disappointed with that outcome and along with some governments, can be expected to continue to press for such an upgrade to be reconsidered during the remaining negotiations leading to the UN General Assembly and Post 2015 Summit in September. Significantly, a number of global initiatives were launched to improve the capacity of national tax authorities because taxation is a key aspect of domestic resource mobilization – one of the key resource streams for financing development that could surpass the revenue streams from both foreign direct investment and official development assistance (ODA). These initiatives included the launch of the OECD’s Tax Collectors Beyond Borders Project (a joint venture of the UN Development Program and the OECD) and the Addis Tax Initiative (an effort by 18 developed countries, including the United States, to double official development assistance for tax authority capacity) and a joint World Bank/IMF initiative to provide capacity building for tax authorities in developing countries.

USCIB’s SDG Working Group, chaired by Tam Nguyen (Bechtel) and Brian Lowry (Monsanto), will continue to weigh in to the UN and the administration on USCIB member interests as the UN process continues to deliberate on a wide range of business issues and implementation.  In addition, USCIB has created an online platform to showcase the private sector’s continuing contributions to sustainable development, and demonstrates the many ongoing business initiatives in support of the UN’s Post-2015 Development Agenda. Visit businessforpost-2015.org to learn more.

 

Preparing for WSIS+10: ICTs Needed for Sustainable Development

Published on July 13, 2015

WSIS+10As United Nations Member States prepare for the General Assembly’s 10-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society, USCIB participated in a stakeholder consultation in New York on July 2 during which members emphasized that information and communication technologies (ICTs) facilitate the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. USCIB members also pointed out that private sector investment is critical for the continued roll-out of Internet access, so it is imperative for governments to create an environment that encourages investment in broadband and ICTs.

USCIB members had important speaking roles in the July 2 program, which featured three panels aimed at exploring (1) progress made in implementation of the WSIS outcomes, (2) ICT technology gaps and areas for continued focus in bridging the digital divide; and (3) harnessing ICTs for development going forward. Members included Joseph Alhadeff, ICC digital economy commission chair and USCIB ICT policy committee vice chair (Oracle); Carolyn Nguyen (Microsoft); Cheryl Miller (Verizon); and Chip Sharp (Cisco).

Each panel included speakers from business, civil society, and the technical community, as well as respondents from governments and stakeholder groups. The speaker’s remarks and subsequent rich commentary provided by respondents and the interactive Q&A will serve as important inputs to the UN Secretariat’s development of a “non-paper” – to be released at the end of August 2015 – which will serve as the substantive foundation for the final outcome document to be endorsed by the UN General Assembly at the High-Level Meeting in December.

USCIB, EU Environment Commissioner Discuss Post-2015 Development Agenda

Published on July 13, 2015
L-R: Commissioner Karmenu Vella (European Union), Norine Kennedy (USCIB), Ariel Meyerstein (USCIB)
L-R: Commissioner Karmenu Vella (European Union), Norine Kennedy (USCIB), Ariel Meyerstein (USCIB)

USCIB met with European Union Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella on July 7 in New York for a productive discussion about the private sector’s role in the United Nations Post-2015 Development Agenda. Commissioner Vella addressed the need for business and government to work together on creating jobs, growth and investment for sustainable development, as well as the importance of integrating economic growth and environmental protection.

USCIB staff including Norine Kennedy, vice president for strategic international engagement, energy and the environment; and Ariel Meyerstein, vice president for labor affairs, corporate responsibility and corporate governance, as well as USCIB member Doug Nelson (Croplife) met with Commissioner Vella at the offices of the EU Delegation to the United States ahead of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Ethiopia this week.

Noting that the UN Post-2015 Development Agenda provides an opportunity to affect global change for the better, Commissioner Vella explained that he viewed the private sector as the solution to governments’ wishes for jobs, growth and investment. He expressed support for private sector involvement in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and he said that governments and businesses of all sizes must work together to protect the environment and forge a path toward sustainable development.

USCIB staff agreed with Commissioner Vella’s comments, and noted that the private sector should have more of a voice in the UN process.

“Private sector engagement should be proportional to what we’re being asked to contribute,” said Meyerstein.

Meeting attendees also discussed the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), with Nelson explaining that the EU’s adoption of the Aarhus Convention – which grants public rights regarding access to information on environmental matters – would force companies to give away confidential business information, which would hurt American investment in the EU. Commissioner Vella said he supported TTIP as it would facilitate business between both sides of the Atlantic, including a common set of inspection criteria.

Additionally, Kennedy participated in a panel with Commissioner Vella later that afternoon on “Involving civil society in the implementation of the post-2015 agenda.” The event was organized by the European Economic and Social Committee, the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations and the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs.

USCIB thanks Commissioner Vella for his welcoming attitude towards the private sector and looks forward to future discussions about public-private collaboration on sustainable development.

USCIB has also created an online platform that showcases the private sector’s continuing contributions to sustainable development, and demonstrates the need for a role for business in the UN’s Post-2015 Development Agenda. Visit businessforpost-2015.org to learn more.