Press Release Archives

Ambitious 2014 US Trade Agenda Hailed

Published on March 4, 2014
U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman is responsible for putting President Obama’s trade agenda into action. (Photo: USTR)
U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman is responsible for putting President Obama’s trade agenda into action. (Photo: USTR)

Washington, D.C., March 4, 2014 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) welcomed today’s release of President Obama’s 2014 U.S. Trade Agenda. The agenda outlines an ambitious set of priorities for expanding American trade and investment around the world, in support of expanded job growth and enhanced U.S. competitiveness.

“We agree with the president that international trade and investment play a critical role in creating jobs, promoting growth and strengthening the middle class,” said USCIB Senior Vice President Rob Mulligan.”The American business community is working hard to advance and support this agenda both at home and abroad.”

“President Obama’s trade strategy for 2014 is driven by a commitment to create jobs, promote growth, and strengthen the middle class through the creation of new export opportunities for American farmers, workers, and businesses,” said U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman. “In the coming year, USTR will continue to execute the President’s trade vision that relies on opening markets, leveling the playing field for American workers and producers, and fully enforcing our trade rights around the world.”

Mulligan said the USTR agenda dovetailed well with USCIB’s own 2014 Global Trade and Investment Agenda, Key goals in the USCIB agenda include:

  • reaching bipartisan agreement on Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation
  • completing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations
  • finalizing agreement on expansion of the Information Technology Agreement
  • making significant progress on the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) as well as the Trade in International Services Agreement negotiations, and
  • advancing discussions of a U.S.-China bilateral investment treaty.

“We are working closely with USTR and the other relevant U.S. agencies to advance this ambitious agenda across the board,” said Charles R. Johnston, chair of USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee and managing director of global government affairs at Citigroup. “In addition, USCIB will work with its overseas business partners to foster support for U.S. trade and investment goals among our trading partners.”

USCIB serves on the steering committee of the Trade Benefits America Coalition (www.tradebenefitsamerica.org), which seeks to enhance understanding among lawmakers and the public about the benefits of U.S. trade agreements and advocates for passage of Trade Promotion Authority. USCIB also plays a leading role in U.S. business coalitions on the TTIP and TPP talks and has provided industry insight to U.S. negotiators on many aspects of these negotiations.

“The most essential piece of the trade puzzle is Trade Promotion Authority,” said Johnston. “Without TPA, we cannot negotiate effectively, and Congress’s ability to help guide U.S. trade policy is limited. For these reasons, we urge the Obama administration and Congress to work together to swiftly pass effective TPA legislation.”

About USCIB:

USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world. With a unique global network encompassing the International Chamber of Commerce, the International Organization of Employers and the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More at www.uscib.org.

Contact:

Jonathan Huneke, USCIB

+1 212.703.5043, jhuneke@uscib.org

 

More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee

USCIB Applauds President’s Executive Order to Streamline Imports and Exports for American Workers and Business

Published on February 20, 2014

4677_image002Washington D.C., February 20, 2014 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) was pleased to see an executive order from President Obama released on February 19, 2014 that will simplify the export/import process for America’s businesses by streamlining the flow of goods across borders. The order is timely as it comes on the heels of the historic World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement, in whose negotiation the U.S. played an integral role. The Trade Facilitation Agreement is a binding commitment that will precipitate quicker movement, release and clearance of goods between WTO member countries.

The Executive Order mandates the completion of an International Trade Data System (ITDS), a system that streamlines the way executive departments and agencies interact with traders, by the end of 2016. ITDS will reduce paperwork for U.S. companies in global markets and will help create new jobs at home and abroad for Americans.

“We applaud the president for issuing this executive order, which promotes job creation and paves the way for further trade facilitation,” USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson said. “In light of the WTO’s recent Trade Facilitation Agreement, we believe this action demonstrates the U.S.’ continued commitment to harmonizing the trade process and to leading the effort to implement twenty-first century changes. The executive order cuts through red tape which will allow U.S. business to be more successful in global markets.”

The executive order also creates an opportunity for Congress to pass Customs Reauthorization language that will further simplify and update customs procedures which helps American business at home and abroad. Bipartisan language was introduced in the House and Senate last year. By passing this legislation, it will further demonstrate our leadership in implementing the agreement and will set global standards that strengthen communication and transparency throughout the global customs process.

About USCIB:
USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world. With a unique global network encompassing leading international business organizations, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More at www.uscib.org.

Contact:
Jonathan Huneke, USCIB
+1 212.703.5043 (office), +1 917.420.0039 (mobile), jhuneke@uscib.org

More on USCIB’s Customs and Trade Facilitation Committee

Conference to Spotlight Internet and ICTs as Drivers of Job Creation Worldwide

Published on January 27, 2014
The OECD has played a key role in Internet policy discussions since before its 2008 Seoul Ministerial. Pictured at that gathering are (L-R) then-BIAC Secretary General Tadahiro Asami, OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria, USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson and Oracle Corp. Vice President Joseph Alhadeff.
The OECD has played a key role in Internet policy discussions since before its 2008 Seoul Ministerial. Pictured at that gathering are (L-R) then-BIAC Secretary General Tadahiro Asami, OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria, USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson and Oracle Corp. Vice President Joseph Alhadeff.

New York, January 27, 2014 – The Internet, along with related information and communications technologies (ICTs), now forms a fundamental supporting infrastructure for the global economy. Recent developments have focused attention squarely on issues of online privacy, trust, security and freedom on a global scale. New policies resulting from this scrutiny could dramatically reshape the online experience for users, including business, and undermine the potential of the Internet and ICTs to serve as engines for jobs creation and growth.

This is the backdrop for an upcoming conference organized by the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), “Growth, Jobs and Prosperity in the Digital Age: OECD Shapes the Policy Environment,” which promises to address some of today’s most important Internet policy questions for an audience of global business leaders and policy makers. The conference, which takes place March 10 at the Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center  in Washington, D.C., is being presented by the United States Council Foundation, USCIB’s educational arm, along with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and BIAC, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD.

“It is important for both business and government to recognize the important and unique role that the OECD has played in the development of the Internet as a source of economic growth and societal benefit,” said Joseph Alhadeff vice president and chief privacy officer with Oracle Corp., who serves as chair of BIAC’s Committee on Information, Communications and Computer Policy and vice chair of USCIB’s ICT Policy Committee.

“From the Ottawa Ministerial in 1998, where the OECD helped facilitate e-commerce, to the Seoul Ministerial in 2008, which addressed the role of the Internet in spurring innovation and economic growth, to its current work on privacy, security, cloud and big data, the OECD has played an important role at the intersection of policy, technology, economy and innovation,” Alhadeff said. “This program will help draw attention to this essential work.”

The conference will feature top experts from the OECD’s Committee on Information, Communications and Computer Policy division along with senior U.S. and foreign government officials, plus experts from business and civil society. Key confirmed speakers include H.E. Diego Molano Vega, Colombia’s minister of information technologies and communications, and Commissioner Julie Brill of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

The program will explore cutting-edge issues affecting the ICT sector against a backdrop of rapidly changing technologies and a more complex policy environment. In particular, participants will consider how emerging technologies such as big data, cloud computing and the “Internet of things” create greater efficiencies and new business opportunities.

“Some of these new opportunities can be optimized through risk-based approaches to privacy and security developed by the OECD,” said Alhadeff. “We will also examine how the OECD’s Seoul Declaration for the Future of the Internet Economy, the OECD Internet Policy Principles, and other important work products have influenced, and are relevant to, many issues under consideration in current trade policy discussions and negotiations.”

In view of ICT’s importance to all sectors of the economy, the March 10 program will be open to business participants from ICT and ICT-user communities. It will also welcome representatives of the Internet technical community as well as civil society. More information is available at https://uscib.org/growth-jobs-prosperity-in-the-digital-age-ud-4660.

About USCIB:
USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world. With a unique global network encompassing leading international business organizations, including BIAC, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More at www.uscib.org.

Contact:
Jonathan Huneke, USCIB
+1 212.703.5043, jhuneke@uscib.org

More on USCIB’s Information, Communications and Technology Committee

Launch of Talks to Free Up Trade in Green Tech Applauded

Published on January 24, 2014

4664_image002New York, N.Y., January 24, 2014 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) applauded announcement of a new initiative by the United States and key trading partners to boost trade in environmental goods and services (EGS) through the World Trade Organization. It said the positive step would build on the recent “Bali package” of trade liberalization measures as well as commitments in the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) forum.

USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson welcomed the announcement and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman’s continuing leadership in this area. “USCIB members agree that moving towards greener economic growth will depend on the widespread deployment of innovative technologies and management systems through more open trade, whether to address climate risks, improve food, water and energy security or offer cleaner goods to consumers in developing countries,” he said.

Robinson went on to say that, “We should seize this opportunity to liberalize trade in a strategic sector. At the same time, USCIB is strongly aware of the need to remove trade barriers for many other resources and products that are integral parts of the global supply and value chains behind EGS.”

Working with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and other international business partners, USCIB has advocated ambitious outcomes in the WTO, TPP, TTIP and APEC deliberations, and continues to highlight the benefits that multilateral trade and investment render to the U.S. economy.

USCIB urges governments to pursue initiatives that would increase the benefits offered by yesterday’s announcement via ongoing dedication to trade liberalization across the board and reaching a comprehensive multilateral agreement on climate change that involves all major emitters next year in Paris.

About USCIB: USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence.  Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world.  With a unique global network encompassing leading international business organizations, including ICC, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More at www.uscib.org.

Contact: Jonathan Huneke, USCIB
+1 212.703.5043, jhuneke@uscib.org

More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee

More on USCIB’s Environment Committee

USCIB Welcomes Trade Promotion Authority Bill

Published on January 9, 2014

4656_image001New York, N.Y., January 9, 2014 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) applauded the introduction today of bipartisan legislation to re-establish Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, Ranking Member Orrin Hatch, and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp.

“TPA is essential for the United States to capitalize on new, market-opening agreements with Asia, Europe and other key trading partners,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson. “Trade delivers better jobs and faster growth. But we won’t be able to complete or implement these pacts without Trade Promotion Authority. So we urge the Congress to act swiftly to pass this legislation.”

Last year, USCIB joined leading business groups in founding the Trade Benefits America Coalition (www.tradebenefitsamerica.org), an effort to educate on the benefits of U.S. trade agreements and advocate for passage of TPA. The coalition is actively working with Congress and the Obama administration, and engaging with state and local officials across the country, to get the facts out about the benefits of trade and build support for TPA.

Robinson cited important progress on several recent trade pacts – including the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, and last month’s breakthrough “Bali Package” in the World Trade Organization – as adding urgency to the need to re-establish TPA, which every president since FDR has enjoyed but which lapsed in 2007.

“The U.S. can compete and win in the global economy, but not with our hands tied behind our back,” said Robinson. “We need TPA, and we need it now.”

About USCIB:
USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world. With a unique global network, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More at www.uscib.org.

Contact:
Jonathan Huneke, USCIB
+1 212.703.5043, jhuneke@uscib.org

More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee

USCIBs Klein Named to International Tax Review’s Global Tax 50

Published on December 17, 2013
Carol Doran Klein
Carol Doran Klein

New York, N.Y., December 17, 2013 – USCIB’s Carol Doran Klein has been named one of International Tax Review‘s “Global Tax 50” for 2013, reflecting her own expertise and achievements as well as the business community’s close engagement with policy makers on international taxation.

In its profile of Klein, USCIB’s vice president for taxation, the influential publication said: “In a year that has seen large multilateral moves to tackle base erosion and profit shifting [BEPS], Klein has had her plate full in ensuring the concerns of U.S. business are heard. And with multiple action items on the OECD’s BEPS Action Plan scheduled for completion in 2014, her influence will continue to be critical if the views of U.S. business are to be heard in this international context.”

Now in its third year, the Global Tax 50 lists individuals and organizations who have had the greatest influence on tax policy, practice and administration in the last 12 months. Click here to read the entire listings on the International Tax Review website. Click here to read Klein’s profile and an interview.

“Hats off to Carol for this richly deserved honor,” exclaimed USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson. “I am delighted that all her hard work in representing business views to the OECD, to the United Nations and to national governments – including our own – is being recognized. Carol has become an indispensible resource for the business community and is providing a strong, knowledgeable voice on global tax matters.”

Others included in this year’s Global Tax 50 include: Will Morris, global tax policy advisor with GE and chair of the Taxation Committee at BIAC, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD (for which USCIB serves as the American affiliate); and Alan McLean, executive vice president for tax and corporate structure with Royal Dutch Shell, who is vice chair of the BIAC committee.

Each June, with BIAC and the OECD, USCIB holds an annual tax policy conference in Washington, D.C. This year’s conference is scheduled for June 2-3 at the Four Seasons Hotel. More information is available at www.uscibtax.org.

About USCIB:

USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world. With a unique global network encompassing leading international business organizations, including BIAC, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More information is available at www.uscib.org.

Contact:

Jonathan Huneke, VP communications, USCIB
+1 212.703.5043 or jhuneke@uscib.org

More on USCIB’s Taxation Committee

USCIB Welcomes Progress on Pacific Trade Talks

Published on December 10, 2013
U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman (second from right) with other TPP trade ministers in Singapore
U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman (second from right) with other TPP trade ministers in Singapore

New York, N.Y., December 10, 2013 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) today congratulated U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and negotiators from the other Trans-Pacific Partnership countries on making substantial progress in the latest round of TPP talks just concluded in Singapore.

“The Trans-Pacific Partnership is  an essential element in expanding our access to fast-growing markets in the Asia-Pacific region, which will spur economic growth and job creation,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson. “We encourage negotiators to continue striving for  a comprehensive, high-standards trade and investment agreement.”

In a joint statement earlier today, negotiators said: “For all TPP countries, an ambitious, comprehensive and high-standard agreement that achieves the goals established in Honolulu in 2011 is critical for creating jobs and promoting growth, providing opportunity for our citizens and contributing to regional integration and the strengthening of the multilateral trading system.”

Robinson urged the TPP governments to intensify their efforts in January with the goal of wrapping up negotiations as soon as possible. “We in the business community are committed to helping our governments conclude an ambitious agreement in short order,” he said.

In addition to the United States, the TPP talks encompass Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

About USCIB:

USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world. With a unique global network, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More at www.uscib.org.

Contact:
Jonathan Huneke, USCIB
+1 212.703.5043, jhuneke@uscib.org

More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee

USCIB Hails Breakthrough Adoption of WTO Bali Package

Published on December 7, 2013
USCIB Chairman Terry McGraw, who also chairs the International Chamber of Commerce, congratulated governments on adoption of a new package of trade liberalization measures
USCIB Chairman Terry McGraw, who also chairs the International Chamber of Commerce, congratulated governments on adoption of a new package of trade liberalization measures

New York, N.Y., December 7, 2013 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) applauded the adoption of an ambitious package of trade liberalization measures by World Trade Organization members at the WTO ministerial in Bali, Indonesia today.

”WTO members have delivered a dose of holiday cheer to a struggling global economy,” said USCIB President and CEOPeter Robinson. “We congratulate ministers on making the tough choices necessary to push this package of agreements past the finish line. They have demonstrated once again the critical importance of multilateral trade liberalization.”

Expectations ahead of the Bali meeting were low, said Robinson, in light of the inability of WTO members to agree to a package in preliminary meetings in Geneva last month, leaving the tough decisions for trade ministers. But he said the business community did not give up hope, and indeed redoubled its efforts to push governments toward an agreement. Robinson said the result – a set of agreements to, among other things, facilitate global trade through modernization of  customs and other administrative practices – “will add billions of dollars to global GDP and create millions of jobs.”

A major business push came from the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), which earlier this year estimated that a trade facilitation agreement alone would deliver global job gains of 21 million, with developing countries gaining more than 18 million jobs and developed countries increasing their workforce by three million.

“With our help, 159 countries came together to reach a trade facilitation agreement that will boost the world’s economy by almost one trillion U.S. dollars,” said ICC Chairman Terry McGraw, who also serves as USCIB’s chairman, in a video message to governments and ICC members worldwide. “What an accomplishment! And the good news is everyone participated.”

McGraw said the agreement “breaks through the logjam that has bottled up trade agreements for the last decade, and paves the way for future agreements that will further increase global growth and job creation.”

The business community, already rallying in support of renewed Trade Promotion Authority as well as prospective U.S. trade pacts with 12 Asia-Pacific nations and the European Union, will push hard for adoption of the Bali package by Congress, according to USCIB Senior Vice President Rob Mulligan, who attended the Bali ministerial and who spearheads USCIB’s Washington-based activities. “We in the private sector are united in our support for this agreement, and for additional action to spur jobs and growth through international trade,” he said.

About USCIB:

USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world. With a unique global network encompassing leading international business organizations, including ICC, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More at www.uscib.org.

 

Contact:
Jonathan Huneke, USCIB
+1 212.703.5043 (office), +1 917.420.0039 (mobile), jhuneke@uscib.org

More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee

USCIB Disappointed at Failure to Reach WTO Bali Package

Published on November 26, 2013
WTO Director General Roberto Azevêdo said diplomats tried hard but "cannot cross the finish line here in Geneva.”
WTO Director General Roberto Azevêdo said diplomats tried hard but “cannot cross the finish line here in Geneva.”

New York, N.Y., November 26, 2013 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) expressed deep disappointment at the failure of World Trade Organization members to finalize a prospective “Bali package” ahead of the WTO ministerial next week in Indonesia.

But the pro-trade group, which represents the views of American business in major multilateral forums, urged ministers to salvage a prospective deal on trade facilitation, saying this would deliver a boost to a global economy stuck in the doldrums.

“An ambitious trade facilitation agreement could have a real, positive impact on growth and jobs in the U.S. and around the world,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson. ”We remain hopeful that ministers can chart a path forward. Finalizing a trade facilitation deal would reinforce the WTO’s role as an essential platform for trade liberalization.”

WTO Director General Roberto Azevêdo said diplomats from the WTO’s 159 members tried hard but “cannot cross the finish line here in Geneva” ahead of the December 3-6 Bali meeting, where ministers were to have signed the deal.

Robinson said: “We appreciate the efforts by U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman’s team to advance the WTO talks in Geneva as far as they were able to go. We urge WTO members to use the Bali ministerial to pick up the pieces and move forward as quickly as possible.” He noted that USCIB Senior Vice President Rob Mulligan will join business representatives from around the world at the ministerial.

Many observers believe a WTO trade facilitation agreement could deliver a significant shot in the arm to the world economy. In June, the Peterson Institute for International Economics, in cooperation with USCIB and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), released a study assessing the potential payoffs from an “early harvest” of elements from the WTO’s Doha Round. The report concluded that a trade facilitation agreement alone would deliver global job gains of 21 million, with developing countries gaining more than 18 million jobs and developed countries increasing their workforce by three million.

“Multilateral agreements like the Bali package are especially important in a world of highly integrated, multi-country global value chains,” Robinson said. “Imports now constitute some 40 percent of the value of exported goods globally, making import barriers in essence a tax on exports.”

For its part, ICC said it supports continued efforts to successfully conclude an agreement and will be working through its members to press governments to find a path forward.

About USCIB:
USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world. With a unique global network encompassing leading international business organizations, including ICC, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More at www.uscib.org.

Contact:
Jonathan Huneke, USCIB
+1 212.703.5043 (office), +1 917.420.0039 (mobile), jhuneke@uscib.org

More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee

Business Works to Strengthen Engagement in UN Climate Process

Published on November 22, 2013
L-R: Norine Kennedy (USCIB), Amb. Robert Van Lierop (St. Kitts & Nevis, Russell Mills (Dow Chemical), Griffin Thompson (State Department), Amb. Jorge Voto Bernales (Peru), USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson
L-R: Norine Kennedy (USCIB), Amb. Robert Van Lierop (St. Kitts & Nevis, Russell Mills (Dow Chemical), Griffin Thompson (State Department), Amb. Jorge Voto Bernales (Peru), USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson

Warsaw, November 22, 2013 – At the 19th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change scheduled to conclude today, the business community has moved forward with efforts to engage more effectively in the international climate process, according to the United States Council for International Business (USCIB).

Earlier this week, the Major Economies Business Forum (BizMEF), a coalition of 20 cross-sectoral business groups from six continents, including USCIB, hosted the Warsaw Business Dialogue, working in partnership with the main Polish business federation and the Polish government’s presidency of COP-19.

The event brought together 50 high-level representatives from Poland and other national delegations, business leaders, the UNFCCC secretariat and other relevant organizations to discuss ways in which business can contribute more effectively to the UN process.

“Business supports development of an ambitious, inclusive post-2020 global climate agreement,” according to Norine Kennedy, USCIB’s vice president of environment and energy. “To achieve truly ambitious goals, negotiators must develop an agreement that harnesses private-sector R&D and investment to deliver climate-friendly technologies and solutions. Working together with governments, we can strengthen the practicality and economic viability of an agreement, supported by trade, investment and innovation.”

UN negotiators are aiming to advance work toward a post-2020 climate agreement at COP-20 next year in Lima, Peru. A final agreement is expected to be signed at COP-21 in Paris in 2015.

The Warsaw dialogue builds on the successful Doha Business Dialogue at COP-18 last year, and previous events at recent UN climate meetings in South Africa and Mexico. Under the theme of “Leverage Business Actions in Technology and Investment,” participants considered ways that international climate policy could best benefit from business efforts to develop and deploy advanced technologies.

The business dialogues are part of a larger effort by BizMEF to establish a recognized channel for business to contribute its expertise and practical experience to the UN climate talks. “Currently, business has no formal role in the UNFCCC, we are simply observers,” said Brian Flannery, a BizMEF spokesperson.

“While we welcome that opportunity, both business and governments could benefit from a recognized channel to provide expert input and participation,” Flannery said. “Such channels work effectively in many other international forums, including the International Labor Organization and the OECD. Both business and governments benefit from more informed participation.”

In his closing remarks to participants at the Warsaw dialogue, Ambassador Jorge Voto Bernales of Peru stated: “We in Peru will work with you in the business community and with the Polish presidency to promote creation of better channels for interactions with business going forward to COP-20 in Lima.”

Voto Bernales further suggested that BizMEF “consider opportunities to engage more closely with regional business groups and governments, in particular in the Latin American region, and with small and medium-sized enterprise as well as large multinational companies, to identify fruitful areas and explore them in more depth. For our part, the COP presidencies could assist in facilitating such interactions, perhaps through a regional workshop based on development of a shared agenda and participation.”

USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson, speaking on behalf of BiizMEF, welcomed the Peruvian ambassador’s remarks and accepted the offer. “The work of the Business Major Economies Forum has been a valuable step to enhance mutual understanding of business and governments concerning the international climate process, as demonstrated here in Warsaw,” he added.

About BizMEF:
The Major Economies Business Forum on Energy Security and Climate Change (BizMEF) is a partnership of leading multi-sectoral business organizations from major economies. Modeled after the government-to-government Major Economies Forum, BizMEF is a platform for these groups to promote dialogue, highlight areas of agreement among participating organizations on the most important issues for business in international climate change policy forums; and share these views with governments, international bodies, other business organizations, the press and the public. Organizations that have participated in BizMEF meetings represent business groups in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Collectively, BizMEF organizations represent more than 25 million businesses of every size and sector. More information is available at www.bizmef.org.

About USCIB:
USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world. With a unique global network encompassing leading international business organizations, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More information is available at www.uscib.org.

Contact:
Jonathan Huneke, VP communications, USCIB
(212) 703-5043 or jhuneke@uscib.org

More on USCIB’s Environment Committee