News Stories Archives

Preparing Students for 21stCentury Jobs

Published on February 27, 2012
Ronnie Goldberg, USCIB’s executive vice president for policy, makes a point at the February roundtable.
Ronnie Goldberg, USCIB’s executive vice president for policy, makes a point at the February roundtable.

What preparation do students need to make the most of emerging opportunities in the global economy? Although a lot of research has taken place on this question, there has been no visible consensus on what education systems should do to respond to the challenge.

That’s why The United States Council Foundation and The McGraw-Hill Research Foundation in February hosted a distinguished group of leading economists, technologists, educators and business representatives to candidly explore the impact of technology on automation and outsourcing, and corresponding education priorities for human capital development.

The goal of this groundbreaking initiative is to present a clearer picture of employability trends by synthesizing the various conversations taking place around this issue, and to offer cogent recommendations on how education systems could adapt. Participants included Andreas Schleicher, special advisor on education policy to OECD Secretary General Angel Gurría, who is responsible for the development and analysis of cross-border benchmarks on the performance of education systems.

A white paper has been commissioned to reflect the roundtable discussion intended for distribution to government agencies, academia and business – in the U.S. and globally – to influence the policy debate around these issues. For more information on this project, contact Abby Shapiro, senior vice president for business development (ashapiro@uscib.org).

Staff contact: Abby Shapiro

Forum Examines How to Purge Supply Chains of Human Trafficking

Published on February 21, 2012
L-R: Ronnie Goldberg (USCIB), Christine Bader (Kennan Institute), David Arkless (ManpowerGroup), Letty Ashworth (Delta Airlines), Dirk Vande Beek (Travelport)
L-R: Ronnie Goldberg (USCIB), Christine Bader (Kennan Institute), David Arkless (ManpowerGroup), Letty Ashworth (Delta Airlines), Dirk Vande Beek (Travelport)

An estimated 27 million people worldwide are victims of human trafficking, which can take many forms – affecting men, women and children – and is making its presence felt in global supply chains.  To help companies understand the scope of the problem and take appropriate steps to address it, USCIB joined with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the International Organization of Employers, part of our global network, to organize a February 14 forum, “Engaging Business: Addressing Human Trafficking in Labor Sourcing,” at the Atlanta headquarters of The Coca-Cola Company.

Common forms of human trafficking include bonded labor, debt bondage, fraud, coercion, and other forms of modern slavery. Often it involves migration of legal workers – within a country and across borders – who have been misled by recruiters into assuming coercive debt and loss of their travel papers.  This forum focused on trafficking in the workplace, mainly via labor sourcing.

Human trafficking is increasing being targeted in policy and regulatory efforts.  In 2000, the United Nations adopted the Palermo Protocol to the UN Organized Crime Convention, and the United States enacted the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.  Three-quarters of the world’s nations have ratified the treaty, and two-thirds have passed laws against trafficking.  Since the beginning of this year, the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act of 2010 requires California manufacturers and retailers with over $100 million in annual worldwide gross receipts to disclose their efforts to eliminate slavery and human trafficking from their direct supply chains.

Kevin Bales, president of the NGO Free the Slaves
Kevin Bales, president of the NGO Free the Slaves

The prohibition of human trafficking is a human right that requires immediate due diligence of supply chains by business, and mitigating action where it exists.  The one-day program focused on potential business impacts, national and international legal trends, networks, strategies and best practices for eliminating human trafficking in labor sourcing.  Attendees gained a better understanding of the various forms of human trafficking in labor sourcing, the scope of legal and stakeholder expectations, and how to identify and address instances of human trafficking in labor sourcing.

Also at the forum, USCIB member ManpowerGroup and the NGO Verite launched a new guide to help companies prevent trafficking in their labor sourcing, “An Ethical Framework for Cross-Border Labor Recruitment,” a detailed framework for combating human trafficking and forced labor.

“Today’s environment requires businesses to be global and talent to be mobile, therefore ManpowerGroup has made it a priority to be at the forefront of ensuring that global recruitment markets operate transparently and ethically,” said David Arkless, ManpowerGroup’s president of global corporate and government affairs.  “Leading firms already commit to high ethical standards, but too many other operators exploit workers through recruitment debt, fraudulent contract substitution, and other forms of abuse.  And even well-intentioned businesses face reputational risk from unwittingly becoming entangled with unethical partners.”

Click here for more information on the ManpowerGroup-Verite initiative.

It was clear from the presentations and discussion at the forum that this is a highly complex issue, but that there are steps that companies can and should take to minimize the risk of trafficking in activities linked to their operations.

Staff contact: Adam Greene

More on USCIB’s Corporate Responsibility Committee

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USCIB’s Greene Named to State Department Advisory Body

Published on February 16, 2012
Adam Greene
Adam Greene

Adam Greene, USCIB’s vice president for labor and corporate responsibility, has been named to a State Department advisory body on the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.  Joining Greene on the panel is Clifford Henry, associate director of corporate sustainable development with Procter & Gamble and chair of USCIB’s Corporate Responsibility Committee.

Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs Jose W. Fernandez announced the new multi-stakeholder advisory panel in January.  The OECD Guidelines are voluntary recommendations from governments to multinational enterprises on responsible conduct in such areas as human rights, labor, environment, and corruption. They are the only multilateral, comprehensive code of conduct, endorsed by 43 national governments.

The new panel will advise the U.S. National Contact Point, a State Department official who leads the United States work under the Guidelines. For more information, please visit www.state.gov/usncp.

Through our affiliation with BIAC, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD, USCIB members provided extensive input to the recent revision of the OECD Guidelines.

Staff contact: Adam Greene

More on USCIB’s Corporate Responsibility Committee

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ICC-Ifo Survey Reveals Slight Brightening in World Economic Climate

Published on February 16, 2012
The road ahead looks brighter according to the latest ICC-Ifo survey.
The road ahead looks brighter according to the latest ICC-Ifo survey.

After two quarters of successive decline, the global economic climate has begun to improve, although it still remains significantly below its long-term average, according to the latest World Economic Survey, published today by ICC and the Munich-based Ifo Institute for Economic Research.The January survey polled 1,129 economic experts from business and academic institutions in 120 countries to assess current and expected economic developments. Their answers were analyzed to reach a quarterly figure representative of the current global economic climate.

While appraisals of the current situation were even poorer than the previous ICC-Ifo survey in October, overall improvement was driven by a more optimistic six-month outlook among experts. The economic climate in Western Europe changed little. While the current economic situation deteriorated further compared to the last quarter of 2011, the six-month outlook brightened slightly but continued to signal skepticism. North America marked a clear improvement from 2011, especially from the U.S., where both the current economic situation and the six-month outlook are more positive. Asia, on the other hand, is pointing to an economic slowdown, after significantly worse appraisals of the current situation further pushed the climate indicator below its long-term average.

Click here to read more on ICC’s website.

World Economic Survey graphs

WES Ifo Report

Business Gears Up for Global Telecom Policy Conference

Published on February 7, 2012

4244_image001This December in Dubai, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the specialized UN agency that addresses telecom and related policy matters, will hold a major treaty-writing conference – the 2012 World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT).  At the conference, ITU member states plan to renegotiate the International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs), a major telecommunications treaty last revised in 1988.

In the course of the preparatory process for WCIT, member states have proposed adding or modifying provisions of the ITRs that are likely to impact international ICT services and markets.  For example, some proposals could give the ITU regulatory authority over international economic regulation of Internet connectivity, international mobile roaming rates, cyber security and spam, number misuse, Internet governance, and various other topics related to the economics of the international ICT sector.

USCIB and its global network, including the International Chamber of Commerce, are gearing up for WCIT.  In a recent briefing note to members, leaders of our Information, Communications and Technology Policy Committee wrote: “We believe that major policy dialogues like WCIT must be informed by relevant, reliable, and current facts.  We also believe that, at present, some of the proposals for modifying the ITRs are not informed by complete facts.”  The note was sent by Eric Loeb, vice president of international external and regulatory affairs with AT&T and chair of ICC’s Task Force on Internet and Telecommunications; Ambassador David Gross of Wiley & Rein, chair of USCIB’s Information, Communications and Technology Policy Committee; and Heather Shaw, USCIB’s vice president for ICT policy.

In addition, USCIB is organizing a February 9 briefing on WCIT with Ambassador Philip Verveer, deputy assistant secretary of state and the U.S. coordinator for international communications and information policy, at Wiley Rein in Washington, D.C.

Staff contact: Heather Shaw

More on USCIB’s Information, Communications and Technology Committee

Call for Nominations for World Business and Development Awards 2012

Published on February 6, 2012

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) are delighted to announce the Call for Nominations for the World Business and Development Awards (WBDA) 2012. USCIB serves as ICC’s American affiliate.

Now in its 10th year held on June 19, 2012, the biannual awards are the pinnacle of recognition for the contribution of the private sector in helping to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through their core business. In 2000, 189 world leaders adopted the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which include eight goals that offer a road map to put people-centered development at the heart of global, national and local agendas. The eight goals, if achieved, could end extreme poverty and its root causes.

The 2012 Awards will be given to companies delivering Inclusive Business models, which include sustainable, commercially-successful business initiatives that expand access for low-income people to goods and services, or improve their livelihoods by engagement in value chains as direct employees, suppliers or distributors.

Taking place at the Rio+20 UN Conference in Brazil, the ceremony will convene when heads of state and CEOs of international businesses gather for the Business Action for Sustainable Development (BASD) Business Day. A special category designated for Brazil-based companies will honor the Rio+2- host country.

The WBDA will take place this year in partnership with the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and the UN Global Compact.

The deadline to nominate an initiative is March 25, 2012. Please visit the Awards website:http://www.WorldBusinessAwards.net for more information.

For any questions or to discuss sponsorship opportunities, please email Lea Felluss (lfelluss@uscib.org).

Staff Contact: Louise Kantrow

World Business and Development Awards website

USCIB Will Support the China International Import Expo

Published on January 30, 2012

USCIB and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the world business organization which USCIB represents in the United States, along with 30 foreign counterparts of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC), have confirmed their support of the China International Import Expo (CIE 2012), which will be held from March 29 to 31, 2012 in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province in China.

Starting in 2012, China will accelerate the transformation of its economic development, as well as the strategic adjustment of its economic structure and industry upgrading. Therefore, China will pay more attention to environmental protection and will expand import of technologies and products of the energy-saving and environmental protection industry. This industry is among the 7 Strategic and Newly-Emerging Industries of which China will accelerate the fostering and development in fast pace. The total volume of its investment is expected to reach RMB 3.1 trillion. The highlights on import focus on technology and equipment for processing and recycling waste, saving energy and preventing and controlling air pollution; new-energy technology and equipment; the technology and equipment for the comprehensive utilization in the recycled economy and resource regeneration; new material and composite material; new-energy material; chemical and macromolecular new material, electronic information material, etc.

The pavilion for energy-saving and environmental protection industry is an important part of the expo. With the help of the database of 100,000 main Chinese import companies the CIE 2012 will invite Chinese companies in the energy-saving and environmental protection circle to visit and purchase during the expo.

Staff contact: Justine Badimon

More on USCIB’s China Committee

China International Import Expo (CIE 2012)

G20 Business Task Forces Launched for Mexico Summit

Published on January 30, 2012

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has joined with WEF in organizing a number of business task forces designed to feed into this June’s B20 business summit, held in concert with the 2012 G20 Summit in Los Cabos, Mexico.  USCIB serves as ICC’s American affiliate, and USCIB Chairman Harold McGraw III, a vice chair of the world business body, is a member of ICC’s G20 Advisory Group.

In Davos, Mexican President Felipe Calderon personally invited ICC Secretary General Jean-Guy Carrier to take part in a breakfast meeting to launch task forces in preparation for the next B20 Business Summit.

Mr Calderon said he would organize individual video conferences with each working group. The aim of these task forces is to provide recommendations from global business to G20 leaders on key issues including food security, green growth, trade and investment, employment, advocacy and impact, transparency and anti-corruption, information and communication technologies and innovation, and finance.

Read more on ICC’s website.

In addition, ICC has published a review of its recent G20-related activities during 2011.  That review is available for download by clicking here.

BIAC Announces Joint Workshop on Women’s Economic Empowerment

Published on January 30, 2012

On February 2, BIAC (the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD, part of USCIB’s global network), along with AmCham France and the OECD, will hold a joint workshop on “The Business Case for Women’s Economic Empowerment” at the OECD conference center in Paris.

Organized as a one-day invitation-only event, the joint workshop aims to provide a business perspective and best practice experience to the OECD Gender Initiative, a multi-disciplinary program to help governments promote gender equality in education, employment and entrepreneurship.

The workshop topics will focus on three main objectives of the meeting including highlighting the business case for women’s economic empowerment through presentation of company case studies and talent management best practices, identifying key public policy issues needed to enable employer best practices and advance women’s economic empowerment, and identifying areas for OECD work to further elaborate on key issues and questions raised by the workshop.

The workshop will facilitate exchanges between senior experts from business, government, academia, international organizations and other stakeholders to provide proactive input to the 2012 OECD Ministerial and Forum to be held in May. USCIB Executive Vice President Ronnie Goldberg will attend, and BIAC Chairman Charles Heeter will address gender diversity in the workplace from an article published in the 2012 OECD Yearbook, entitled “Gender Dividend: An Urgent Economic Imperative.”

Staff Contact: Ronnie Goldberg

More on USCIB’s Labor & Employment Policy Committee

Transatlantic Economic Council: US and EU Commit to Stronger Economic Ties

Published on December 9, 2011

4209_image002Under the leadership of European Union Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht and U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs Michael Froman, the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC) met last week, during the U.S.-EU Summit, to discuss more cohesive and mutually beneficial regulatory cooperation between the U.S and EU, with a focus on opportunities in innovative sectors to ensure continued economic success and job creation.

The TEC discussions highlighted the need for bilateral efforts to avoid the creation of unnecessary regulatory and standards barriers to trade, especially in emerging sectors such as nanotechnology and electric vehicles, in strengthening joint approaches to third countries, and in developing commitments to shared principles for international investment by early 2012.

Among the positive outcomes of the TEC, USCIB applauds the much awaited agreement reached by the EU Directorate for Trade and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on mutual recognition of our trusted trader programs, AEO and C-TPAT.   The agreement will enter into force in June 2012.

USCIB urges the European Union and the U.S. to continue the positive momentum of the TEC into 2012 and looks forward to working with officials by providing input and recommendations from our membership on current and future areas of regulatory cooperation.

Staff contact: Justine Badimon

More on USCIB’s European Union Committee