Communication Department Archives

B20 Summit Attendees Reaffirm Commitment to Open Trade

Published on May 1, 2017
B20 Chair Jürgen Heraeus hands over the B20 Policy Recommendations to German Chancellor Merkel at the B20 Summit in Berlin

The two-day B20 Summit took place on May 2-3 in Berlin, Germany with the theme “Resilience, Responsibility, Responsiveness – Towards a Future-oriented, Sustainable World Economy.” Approximately 700 representatives from the B20 met for the final summit of the German B20 Presidency. USCIB’s President and CEO Peter M. Robinson was among them in his capacity as Co-Chair of the B20 Employment and Education Taskforce.

Among the many meetings that took place during the summit was an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) G20 CEO Advisory Group that was facilitated by ICC Germany.  The meeting was chaired by ICC Secretary General John Danilovich.  ICC First Vice-Chairman John Denton also participated in the meeting, which brought together Group members at both Deputy and CEO levels, together with representatives from ICC Argentina, ICC Germany, ICC United Kingdom, and USCIB’s Robinson.

The meeting of the ICC Group was able to benefit from the participation of B20 Germany Sherpa Stormy-Annika Mildner. Mildner provided a detailed briefing of latest B20 activities and lessons learned thanking ICC for its sustained and substantive participation in the B20 task forces and working groups, and said that the summary of B20 recommendations would be presented to Chancellor Angela Merkel and sent to B20 members.  She explained the G20/B20 “compact with Africa” initiative – a partnership between the B20/G20 and 5 African countries (the Ivory Coast, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal and Tunisia) to improve sustainable private sector development in African countries.

ICC Argentina Chairman Victor Dosoretz gave an update on preparations for the G20/B20 under Argentine presidency in 2018.  He explained that the six main business associations in Argentina – which were all part of ICC Argentina – would work together in an organizing committee for the B20.  Union Industrial Argentina Vice President Daniel Funes de Rioja, outgoing chairman of the International Organization of Employers, had been appointed as B20 Chairman by the Argentine government.  The B20 sherpa had not yet been selected.

The B20 Summit officially got underway with remarks by B20 Chairman Jurgen Heraeus who emphasized that the B20 managed to craft consensual positions on all major issues.  The B20 was united in its belief that trade increases prosperity worldwide, that protectionist policies are misguided and that policies are needed to help people who felt left behind by trade and technological change.

The B20 Task Force on Employment and Education, which is co-chaired by Robinson and which makes recommendations to the G20, promotes open, dynamic and inclusive labor markets, harnessing the potential of technological change through better education and training, and creating a global level playing field and promotion of fair competition for globally operating companies. The task force’s leaders recognize the need to address unemployment, raise labor force participation, improve education and work-force qualification and create framework conditions for quality jobs to ensure sustainable economic and financial development.

“With a high level of unemployment globally, employment and education have become core topics of the G20 and the B20,” said Robinson. “To address employment and training gaps, we [the B20 Employment and Education Taskforce] released a series of recommendations on investing in skills development, implementing commitments such as the ILO G20 training strategy and using technology as a complementary tool to improve access and adaption.” The B20 Taskforce on Employment and Education policy paper can be viewed here.

The G20 Summit will take place from July 7-8 in Hamburg, Germany.

OECD Organizes Industry Meeting Ahead of June Ministerial

Published on May 1, 2017

Ahead of June’s OECD Ministerial, Denmark, which holds the OECD presidency this year, organized a joint Business at OECD (BIAC) and the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC) consultation in Copenhagen with OECD member governments. USCIB’s President and CEO Peter Robinson gave remarks at the consultation on the importance of improving openness and competitiveness of economies as well as helping more people and companies of all sizes to participate.

“We are living through a period of rapidly changing technologies and economic policies, especially regarding cross-border trade and investment,” said Robinson. “Economic nationalism and isolationist sentiment are posing challenges to the OECD’s fundamental orientation of greater openness and cooperation. The economic context should focus minds – without a comprehensive competitiveness agenda for OECD countries, there will be less wealth creation and less room to increase living standards.”

Robinson recommended a regular publication of the Better Business Index to help governments understand and improve the key drivers of private sector growth. “We think this is vital so as not to lose sight of – or take for granted – the role of the private sector in creating wealth,” he said. Robinson emphasized the importance of developing a new OECD Strategy for SMEs and sensible policies to ensure sustainable growth of the digital economy.

The OECD meetings took place on the eve of the B20 Summit in Berlin.

USCIB’s Mulligan Weighs in on Asia Trade in Wharton Journal

Published on May 1, 2017

As the Trump administration moves to shift the focus of U.S. trade policy away from larger multilateral pacts and toward bilateral deals, USCIB Senior Vice President for Policy and Government Affairs Rob Mulligan was cited in a Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania online business journal Knowledge@Wharton in an article titled “Bilateral or Multilateral: Which Trade Partnerships Work Best?”

Mulligan was quoted emphasizing the importance of the Asia-Pacific region for USCIB’s membership, saying, “Our hope is that [the U.S.] will pursue some other approach that will continue to open those markets and ensure that U.S. companies are able to compete and have access in those markets. The multilateral approach, we generally felt, had advantages [in] that you could get many countries at one time… [A] lot of U.S. businesses benefit from the global rules-based trade system.”

The full article can be accessed here.

USCIB Urges Trump Administration to Remain Engaged in UN Climate Talks

Published on April 26, 2017

With senior advisors in the Trump administration set to meet tomorrow to discuss U.S. engagement in the UN and other international climate change discussions, USCIB has urged the administration to keep the U.S. seat at the table.

Earlier this month, in a letter to the White House, USCIB President and CEO Peter M. Robinson wrote: “In spite of challenges and shortcomings in the UN climate policy arena, USCIB reaffirms its support for the United States to continue as a Party to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement.”

However, USCIB’s letter, which was sent April 17 to National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, explicitly recommended that the U.S. place a number of conditions on continued engagement, including reassessing existing U.S. emissions reduction and related commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement in the context of broader consultation with the private sector.

The letter further recommended that the U.S. insist on greater access and transparency in the UN climate negotiation process for U.S. economic stakeholders, call on the UN to discourage unilateral trade measures related to climate, and work through the UN and other international forums to foster speedier development and deployment of environmentally sound technologies.

“Addressing climate change and its impacts will require a long-term international cooperative approach with due attention to national circumstances and priorities to assure ongoing economic development,” Robinson wrote. “USCIB members are convinced that U.S. engagement and leadership are required to champion economically sound approaches to energy and climate change risks that advance U.S. economic prosperity and create new job and market opportunities for U.S. businesses at home and abroad.”

USCIB Convenes Multistakeholder Roundtable on Business and Infrastructure for SDGs

Published on April 25, 2017
L-R: USCIB Vice President, Strategic International Engagement, Energy and Environment Norine Kennedy, USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson, and Ambassador Lisa Kubiske from the U.S. State Department

As the UN gears up for its annual high-level political forum (HLPF) to review progress on the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in July, the international community is turning its attention to SDG 9—building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization and fostering innovation. The extensive role of infrastructure in achieving all 17 SDGs prompted USCIB to organize a ‘Business for SDGs’ roundtable on Infrastructure last Friday, April 21, hosted by Covington LLP in Washington DC.

Norine Kennedy, USCIB’s vice president for strategic international engagement, energy and environment and the lead for USCIB’s work on the sustainable development goals opened the meeting and served as the event’s master of ceremonies.  “USCIB’s SDG Working Group realized that no SDG can be delivered without the right ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ infrastructure, such as education, financial inclusion, food systems and healthcare, in place. The pipeline for bankable projects for both has to accelerate to broadly deploy and leverage business resources and know,” said Kennedy.

The event, held on the margins of the UN Financing for Development Infrastructure Forum, drew participants from government and business, including USCIB member companies AT&T, Bechtel, Citi, KPMG, MasterCard, and Monsanto as well as the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, NGO groups such as the Global Infrastructure Basel Foundation, and U.S. government representatives, notably Ambassador Lisa Kubiske from the U.S. Department of State who gave closing remarks.

The roundtable discussed obstacles to and best practices in public private partnerships for infrastructure projects, challenges in removing barriers or dealing with corruption, and the importance of scaling U.S. business investment, and the role of business in developing and utilizing SDG-relevant metrics. “There’s a huge financing gap, especially in terms of development and sustainable infrastructure projects around the world,” said Kubiske before citing U.S. government resources and initiatives that to de-risk and support U.S. companies competing for infrastructure projects, such as Power Africa.

“Investment in infrastructure is key to achieving a successful implementation of the SDGs,” emphasized Peter M. Robinson, USCIB’s CEO and president in discussing key takeaways from the roundtable. “We must actively search for ways to discourage governments from crowding out private investment; the implementation imperative requires scaling up business involvement and commercial opportunities. A first priority is to knock down obstacles to infrastructure investment, which can take the form of formal barriers to foreign investment in specific sectors or burdensome regulation affecting both foreign and domestic firms,” he said. Robinson’s remarks can be found here.

USCIB will host another roundtable on Innovation and SDGs in May in conjunction with the Financing for Development Forum.  Please see USCIB’s Businessfor2030 website for more information on the roundtable and other USCIB actions and engagement on the SDGs.

Upcoming ICC Young Arbitrators Events

Published on April 25, 2017

The International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce is organizing two ICC Young Arbitrators Forum (YAF) events in New York and San Francisco. On May 1, ICC YAF is organizing an event on “Summary Adjudication in International Arbitration” in San Francisco which will feature a panel of young practitioners on the West Coast along with a presentation by the Counsel of the ICC’s North America case management team. You may register by contacting Melissa.bibbs@dlapiper.com.

The ICC YAF Global Conference will be held from June 9-10 in New York City at Columbia Law School with a welcome cocktail reception on June 8. The conference will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, debates, and workshops on Third Party Funding and Damages, along with a special networking session called, “Friday Night Live”. This conference is aimed at young arbitration practitioners of approximately 40 years and under: counsel, arbitrators, corporate counsel or academics. This ICC YAF Global Conference is a unique opportunity for YAF members from all over the world to meet peers from all Chapters. Young practitioners from all continents will gather to exchange thoughts on international arbitration and share some fun together. For more information, please visit their website.

ICC YAF has also recently announced new regional representatives for its 2017-2019 mandate. Representing 40 countries and 53 cities, the elected representatives are tasked with promotion and development of the dynamic global network of young arbitration talent. USCIB would like to congratulate the following new representatives for the United States:

Andy Tuck, Alston & Bird, LLP, Atlanta

Seth Meyer, Kirkland & Ellis, LLP, Chicago

Silvia Marchili, King & Spalding, Houston

Marike Paulsson, University of Miami School of Law’s International Arbitration Institute, Miami

Floriane Lavaud, Debevoise & Plimpton, New York

Ignacio Zapiola, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, LLP, New York

Amy Endicott, Arnold Porter LLP, San Francisco

Chip Rosenberg, White & Case LLP, Washington DC

Many USCIB Members Ranked “Best Corporate Citizens”

Published on April 24, 2017

Talk in GreenAs USCIB prepares for its bi-annual Corporate Responsibility and Labor and Employment Committee meetings on May 2-3, USCIB would like to congratulate many of its members who were honored by Corporate Responsibility Magazine in its release of the 18th annual list of Best Corporate Citizens last week. USCIB members that made it into the top 10 rank include Intel, Microsoft, Cisco and Lockheed Martin, with many others ranked in the top 100 as well. CR Magazine is America’s leading voice on corporate responsibility, providing case studies, analyzing best practices and tracking trends in the five primary segments of corporate responsibility: energy and environment, risk management, governance and compliance, employee relations, and human rights.

Next week’s USCIB Committee meetings will touch on all five of these segments. The Committee meetings, which will be hosted by Foley and Lardner LLP in Washington DC, will include a presentation from Melike Yetken, a senior advisor for corporate responsibility with the U.S. Department of State, touching on the U.S. National Action Plan and work of the U.S. national contact point for the OECD. Yetken will also participate on a panel at the meeting with Hanni Rosenbaum of Business at OECD (BIAC) to brief USCIB committee members on the draft OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct.  Additional agenda highlights include an update on the ILO program on decent work in global supply chains, the Customs Tariff Act of 1930, the upcoming UN Forum on Business and Human Rights, and an update on conflict minerals. For more information on this two-day Committee meeting, please contact Gabriella Rigg Herzog.

The unique value of the USCIB Corporate Responsibility and Labor Affairs Committee is its leadership position advancing the global interests of U.S. business with global policy makers in the area of responsible business conduct, and the broad and diverse nature of its members who represent multiple business functions and industries and who participate actively through the sharing of insights and experiences.

OECD Secretary General Briefs USCIB Members as World Bank/IMF Meetings Get Underway

Published on April 24, 2017
L-R: USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson, OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria, BIAC Vice Chair Rick Johnston (Citi), Rob Mulligan (USCIB), Susan Fridy (OECD)
L-R: USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson, OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria, BIAC Vice Chair Rick Johnston (Citi), Rob Mulligan (USCIB), Susan Fridy (OECD)

With the spring meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund bring finance ministers and other top officials from around the world to Washington, D.C., USCIB members on April 21 met with OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria at Citi’s offices in the capital.

The wide-ranging, off-the-record discussion covered priorities for the OECD as well as the G-20, for which the OECD has undertaken a variety of high-level projects since the 2008-2009 financial crisis. In the face of the ongoing populist backlash, Gurria reiterated the OECD’s fundamental support for open markets, as well as for policies to address the downside of global integration and technological change.

Gurria also looked forward to this year’s OECD Ministerial in June. Next week in Copenhagen, USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson and other members of Business at OECD (BIAC) will present their recommendations to OECD governments in advance of the ministerial.

Key topics at this year’s OECD ministerial are expected to include the digital economy, inclusive growth, migration, aging societies and the general backlash against globalization.

Gurria, who prior to becoming secretary general of the OECD served as foreign affairs and finance minister in the Mexican government, and who helped negotiate several market-opening trade deals with the United States and other nations, was honored earlier in the week by the Economic Club of Minnesota for his longstanding support of open trade. Click here to read his remarks at the event.

Welcoming USCIB’s New Finance and Accounting Manager

Published on April 24, 2017
Greg Tondi
Greg Tondi

USCIB welcomed a new addition to its New York team today, Greg Tondi. Tondi will serve as USCIB’s Manager of Accounting and Finance.

Prior to joining USCIB, Tondi was Controller at the College of St. Elizabeth in Morristown, NJ for the past couple of years.  Before assuming his Controller position at the College of St. Elizabeth, Tondi was an Associate Manager of Accounting and Financial Analyst for Prudential Financial.  He also spent several years as a high school teacher.  Tondi enjoys teaching and continues as an Adjunct Professor at New Jersey City University where he received his Masters in Accounting.  Tondi received his Bachelor of Science in Finance from Rutgers University.

Tondi is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of New Jersey.

“Greg has wide ranging experience in not-for-profit and private sector accounting, finance and academics, even co-publishing an industry paper on the impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act on small businesses,” said Dave Murphy, USCIB’s vice president of finance.  “We know that he will make a great addition to our team.”

BIAC Releases Trade as a Priority for All Paper

Published on April 24, 2017

BIAC_Trade_Priorities_PaperAs populist discontent with international trade continues to percolate around the world, Business at OECD (BIAC) today unveiled a new paper, “Trade as a Priority for All,” with recommendations for OECD action to help build renewed support for cross-border trade.

Last December, Business at OECD convened a workshop of heads of communications from its member federations around the world, to consider ways to push back against the populist narrative. It consulted with its global membership, a network of over 2,800 business experts, and identified critical trade barriers and opportunities. The paper makes recommendations to the OECD and its member governments on the role they can play in curbing barriers and enabling opportunities.

The paper also provides a better understanding of the way companies do business, shedding light on the hurdles they face at the border and in the global marketplace and provides recommendations on improving policymaking and creating better conditions for private sector-led growth, innovation and job creation.

“This paper is crucial in conveying priorities of the business community for OECD analysis and policy recommendations, especially given the rise in anti-trade rhetoric globally,” said Rob Mulligan, USCIB’s senior vice president for policy and government affairs, who is attending consultations with the OECD Trade Committee as well as an OECD conference on trade communications this week in Paris. “USCIB supports the recommendations in this paper, including those of eliminating localization requirements, ensuring open cross-border data flows and improving international regulatory cooperation.”