Press Release Archives

Kristin Isabelli Joins USCIB as Director of Customs Policy

Published on November 20, 2013

Washington, D.C., November 20, 2013 – Kristin Isabelli has joined the staff of the United States Council for International Business (USCIB) as director of customs and trade facilitation. She brings significant Capitol Hill experience on these issues, having worked most recently as a legislative aide for the House Ways and Means Committee.

“With a busy agenda on the customs and trade facilitation, including Customs reauthorization, we are fortunate to bring on someone of Kristin’s caliber,” said Rob Mulligan, USCIB’s senior vice president of policy and government affairs. “With her knowledge of the issues and the key policymakers, in addition to her Hill experience, she will be able to hit the ground running.”

In addition to staffing USCIB’s Customs and Trade Facilitation Committee, chaired by Jerry Cook (HanesBrands), Isabelli will serve as the International Chamber of Commerce’s representative to the World Customs Organization’s Harmonized System Committee, and as a member of the APEC Customs Business Working Group.

Isabelli comes to USCIB from the House Committee on Ways and Means, where she worked as the trade legislative assistant for Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R. – Mich.). She assisted in the completion of the Colombia, Panama and South Korea free trade agreements and the 112th Congress Customs Reauthorization Bill, and assisted in the creation of the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill process and website for the 112th and 113th Congresses. With a bachelor’s degree in international studies and French from Allegheny College, Isabelli is currently working toward a master’s degree in international commerce at George Mason University.

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
(212) 703-5043, jhuneke@uscib.org

USCIB Applauds Better Work Plan on Bangladesh

Published on October 22, 2013

4621_image002New York, N.Y., October 22, 2013 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB), which represents American employers in the International Labor Organization (ILO), welcomed the extension of the Better Work program, a joint initiative of the ILO and the International Finance Corporation, to Bangladesh in an effort to improve workplace conditions in the country’s garment industry. (Click here for the ILO announcement.)

“This is a very welcome development,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson. “It signals a strong commitment by governments, in concert with global employers and trade unions, as well as their counterparts in Bangladesh, to improve working conditions in the country.”

Operational since 2009, the Better Work program brings together governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations, global brands and supplier factories to improve both productivity and working conditions those factories.  The program assesses compliance with labor laws, posts reports online and provides targeted capacity building training to improve compliance with labor standards as well as the competitiveness of the factory.

Robinson said USCIB has worked to line up U.S. corporate support for the Better Work program, including financial support. Through its participation in the Better Work program’s advisory committee, USCIB actively supported a recommendation to launch the Bangladesh country program, he noted.

“Better Work is a stellar example of public-private collaboration with measurable benefits,” Robinson stated. “By bringing all stakeholders together in a collaborative framework, it helps bring about sustainable improvements in workplace conditions.”

USCIB represents American business interests internationally, including in the ILO where it is the U.S. employer constituent, serves on the ILO Governing Body, and leads the U.S. employer delegation to the ILO’s annual International Labor Conference.

USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include top 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.

Contacts:

Adam Greene, VP labor & corporate responsibility, USCIB
+1 212.703.5056, agreene@uscib.org

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

Business Urges APEC to Take Concrete Steps to Expedite Trade

Published on October 2, 2013

4607_image002New York, N.Y., October 2, 2013 – As leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies get set to meet in Bali, Indonesia, a key pro-trade business group urged a number of concrete steps to free up trade and facilitate business in this fast-growing region.

The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) issued a comprehensive paper with priority issues and recommendations for APEC in 2014, when the group’s rotating host duties pass to China.

“APEC’s importance for U.S. and global business is growing,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson, who will be part of the business delegation to the Bali summit, which takes place October 5 to 7. “We are recommending a number of steps leaders can take to help ensure the region remains a center for growth and innovation.”

USCIB said several current or prospective APEC projects offer special promise to smooth trade relations among the economies. These include:

  • the APEC Chemical Dialogue, which USCIB called a useful and important forum to address issues relating to chemicals management
  • discussion of long-term climate change adaptation planning, where USCIB is seeking to inject private-sector know-how
  • launch of the Virtual Customs Business Dialogue, which will look at reducing technical and administrative barriers to trade, during China’s host year

The business group is also urging APEC’s 21 member economies to undertake new work to address localization barriers to trade, and to work toward the elimination of barriers to trade in digital services and products. The USCIB paper, which is issued annually, covers more than 20 separate issue areas. USCIB said its member companies would be closely engaged throughout China’s host year.

Robinson said the business community would push for progress on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) when trade ministers from the 12 TPP parties meet on the sidelines of the Bali summit. “We want a strong, comprehensive TPP agreement, with no carve-outs of issues or sectors, and which includes key provisions on forced localization and dispute settlement,” he stated.

Looking at the global trading system, Robinson said business would also encourage APEC members to work together in the World Trade Organization (WTO) to open global markets to trade, especially through a potential trade facilitation agreement that will be on the table at the WTO’s own Bali ministerial in December.

 

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, jhuneke@uscib.org

FedEx Chief Fred Smith to Be Honored at USCIB Award Gala

Published on September 12, 2013
Fred Smith
Fred Smith

New York, N.Y., September 12, 2013 – Fred Smith, chairman and CEO, FedEx Corp., will receive the top award from the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), a pro-trade group representing America’s leading global companies. Smith will be honored at a September 18 gala dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York.

As the United Nations General Assembly gets set to convene next week, UN Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson is among the many international dignitaries attending the event and will provide keynote remarks.

“Fred Smith is a leader who has demonstrated over many years a strong commitment to innovation, open markets and a positive role for business in society,” said USCIB Chairman Terry McGraw, president, chairman and CEO of McGraw Hill Financial. “He exemplifies the very best of USCIB’s core values.”

Smith will be the 32nd individual to receive USCIB’s International Leadership Award, presented most recently to Andrew Liveris
of Dow Chemical. The annual USCIB award gala draws hundreds of business leaders and dignitaries from government and diplomatic circles.

Among those attending this year’s event will be members of the executive board of the International Chamber of Commerce, the world business organization for which USCIB serves as the American national committee, as well as the heads of ICC chapters from around the world. The secretaries general of each of USCIB’s affiliated global business groups – ICC, the International Organization of Employers, and the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD – will also be in attendance. More information on the event is available at www.uscibgala.com.

Smith founded FedEx Corp. in 1973, and it has grown into a $44-billion global transportation, business services and logistics company. Smith has been an active proponent of regulatory reform, free trade and open-skies agreements around the world. Most recently, he has advocated for vehicle energy-efficiency standards and a national energy policy.

FedEx has continued to strengthen its industry leadership over the past 40 years. It is consistently ranked among the world’s most admired and trusted employers and inspires its employees to remain absolutely, positively focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. More information is available at www.fedex.com.

USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include top U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms. With a unique global network encompassing leading international business and employers groups, 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, VP Communications, USCIB
(212) 703-5043 or jhuneke@uscib.org

More on USCIB’s International Leadership Award Dinner

Fedex website

USCIB Responds to OECD/G20 Report on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting

Published on July 19, 2013

New York, N.Y., July 19, 2013 – Responding to a much-anticipated report to the G20 governments from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on possible changes to global taxation rules, the United States Council for International Business (USCIB) said the report reinforces the business community’s position on compliance with existing tax rules and the need for reform.

The OECD today submitted its action plan to tackle “base erosion and profit shifting” (BEPS) to G20 finance ministers meeting in Moscow, fulfilling a request by the G20 leaders at their summit last year in Los Cabos, Mexico.

“The OECD recognizes that most tax planning complies with current rules,” said Carol Doran Klein, USCIB’s vice president for tax policy. “The report states that BEPS is not primarily an issue of tax compliance.”

Klein said USCIB supports regular review by governments to ensure their tax policies are fit for purpose. “Indeed, the U.S. tax system is in need of fundamental reform, particularly in the international area,” she said. USCIB and its partner business groups overseas believe that a consensus-based approach is most appropriate, rather than a piecemeal approach, which would likely increase double taxation. “The OECD, with its resources and the analytical ability to look at these complex issues is the best place to build consensus on these complex issues,” said Klein.

Throughout the development of the BEPS report, USCIB has worked closely with the Business and Industry Advisory Committee
(BIAC) to the OECD, which officially represents the view of industry in the Paris-based body, and for which USCIB serves as the U.S. member federation. BIAC has also issued a statement regarding the BEPS report, available here.

Bill Sample, corporate vice president for worldwide tax with Microsoft and chair of the USCIB Tax Committee, stated:  “USCIB and it members look forward to working with  BIAC and the OECD on this timely and important review of the application of current tax policies to multinational businesses. The factors driving the need for U.S. tax reform also impact the international tax system.”

Last month in Washington, D.C., the OECD, BIAC and USCIB jointly held the 8th annual OECD International Tax Conference, which featured an in-depth discussion of BEPS along with other important global tax policy topics. More information on that event is available here.

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 Hails Launch of U.S.-EU Trade and Investment Talks

Published on June 17, 2013
L-R: European Council President Van Rompuy, President Obama, European Commission President Barroso, UK Prime Minister Cameron.
L-R: European Council President Van Rompuy, President Obama, European Commission President Barroso, UK Prime Minister Cameron.

New York, N.Y., June 17, 2013 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) applauded today’s announcement at the G8 Summit in Lough Erne, Northern Ireland that the United States and the European Union have launched negotiations for a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

“The European Union is our biggest export market, while the transatlantic investment relationship is the largest in the world, but there are plenty of additional opportunities if we play our cards right,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson.

“TTIP has the capacity to provide a big boost to our competitiveness, economic growth, and jobs here at home, and can jump-start other trade liberalization efforts at the regional and multilateral levels.”

According to the White House, the initial round of U.S.-EU talks is set to begin in Washington on July 8. It said TTIP will aim to further open EU markets, strengthening rules-based investment to grow the world’s largest investment relationship, while eliminating all tariffs on trade, improving market access for trade in services and tackling costly “behind the border” non-tariff barriers that impede the flow of goods, including regulatory impediments.

Last month USCIB submitted a report on TTIP to the U.S. Trade Representative’s office detailing recommended negotiating objectives in a variety of areas. Earlier this month, USCIB organized a roundtable in New York on the stakes for business in the TTIP negotiations.

Robinson said USCIB would work with fellow industry groups and the U.S. Trade Representative’s office to ensure that American industry views are front and center in the negotiations. USCIB is on the steering committee of the recently launched Business Coalition for Transatlantic Trade.

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, jhuneke@uscib.org

More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee

More on USCIB’s European Union Committee

An Early Harvest on Trade That Could Boost Jobs and Growth

Published on June 17, 2013
Former World Bank President and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick spoke at the event.
Former World Bank President and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick spoke at the event.

Washington, D.C., June 17, 2013 – As G8 leaders gather in Northern Ireland for their annual summit, expanding trade will be high on the agenda. To spur discussion of concrete steps that could be taken to revive global trade and investment, the Peterson Institute for International Economics joined with and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) to hold a June 14 discussion in Washington, “Payoff from the World Trade Agenda.”

Robert B. Zoellick, former president of the World Bank and former U.S. trade representative, provided keynote remarks. Zoellick applauded the ICC initiative as “a great pathway” to expanded trade in a world where global output is now evenly split between developed and developing countries, and where significant South-South trade barriers still remain.

The event was held in partnership with the United States Business Council for International Business (USCIB), which serves as ICC’s American national committee, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The Peterson Institute report, written by Gary Clyde Hufbauer and Jeffrey J. Schott, takes a fresh look at the Doha Round trade negotiations, and assesses the potential payoffs from seven agreements that could be revived and advanced in 2013 and entered into force as early as 2015. If all seven agreements were ratified, global gains could be substantial: export gains over $2 trillion, 34 million jobs supported, and global GDP gains of $2 trillion.

Incoming ICC Chairman Terry McGraw, CEO of McGraw-Hill Financial and also chairman of USCIB, said the report showed how important trade is to sustained global economic recovery. He said business leaders would strongly endorse the trade agenda with G20 leaders at this year’s summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and with WTO trade ministers in advance of their December ministerial in Bali, Indonesia.

USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson cited the new report and recent OECD work on trade in value-added as underscoring the wisdom of securing multilateral solutions in a world of highly integrated, multi-country global value chains. He noted that imports now constitute some 40 percent of the value of exported goods globally, making import barriers in essence a tax on exports.

The Peterson report looks at potential trade, output and employment gains from the following elements in ICC’s World Trade Agenda:

  • concluding a WTO trade facilitation agreement
  • negotiating a new services plurilateral
  • expanding trade in information technology
  • implement duty-free and quota-free market access for exports from least-developed countries phasing out agricultural export subsidies
  • renouncing food export restrictions.

The report concludes that by simplifying customs procedures – through trade facilitation measures – alone, WTO member countries 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.

Providing a business perspective on the Peterson Institute report at the June 14 event were James Bacchus of Greenberg Traurig, a former Congressman and former chair of the WTO appellate body who now chairs ICC’s Trade and Investment Commission, Charles Johnston of Citi, chair of USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee, and Scott Miller of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. For video and audio from the June 14 event, go to http://www.iie.com/events/event_detail.cfm?EventID=287.

For more information on the ICC World Trade Agenda, please visit http://www.iccwbo.org/global-influence/world-trade-agenda/.

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

Now Available in USCIB International Bookstore: Uniform Rules for Bank Payment Obligations

Published on June 13, 2013

4531_image002New York, N.Y., June 13, 2013 – Uniform Rules for Bank Payment Obligations (BPOs), a 21st-century standard in supply-chain finance that will facilitate international trade, is now available at the USCIB International Bookstore.

These new rules are set to revolutionize trade finance transactions. BPO is an irrevocable commitment made by one bank to another that payment will occur on a specified date after a specified event has taken place. It is an alternative instrument for trade settlement, designed to complement existing solutions, not to replace them.

The BPO provides the benefits of a letter of credit in an automated and secured environment, and enables banks to offer flexible risk mitigation and enhanced financing services to their corporate customers.

The rules were developed by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Banking Commission, in partnership with the financial messaging provider SWIFT and take into account the expectations of all relevant industries and users. Reflecting consensus of the industry, the rules were unanimously adopted by the ICC Banking Commission in April.

“The importance of collaboration among the banking community is paramount today.” According to Michael Quinn, Co-Chair of the ICC URBPO Education Group, Chair of USCIB’s Banking Committee, and Managing Director of Global Trade at JP Morgan. Quinn went on to say, “we have case studies where banks are successfully using BPO in situations where there is high volume import, short shipment time periods and a need to provide liquidity to suppliers who are providing relatively low-cost retail consumer type goods.” Mr. Quinn also added, “this provides us with excellent examples of how BPO is being leveraged to facilitate trade without getting bogged down in the processing of documents.”

The speed of trade, the complexity of supply chains and the reliance on information and data today is overwhelming. Over the last 10 years banks and corporates have become focused on financing liquidity down supply chains to ensure products can get to customers. The financial crisis forced many companies to rethink their supply chain strategies and consider ways to ensure integrity down the chain while ensuring it remains liquid and appropriately protected. This, Quinn suggests, has led to a convergence of corporate needs for supply chain financing with banks’ need to support them in this and an ambition to reduce paper handling so that greater focus can be put on risk mitigation and financing.

The rules are set to go into effect on July 1. Order your copy today at USCIB International Bookstore.

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.

USCIB’s Trade Services include: ATA Carnet, commonly known as the Merchandise Passport, which allows goods to enter over 85 customs territories tax- and duty-free for up to one year; eCertificates of Origin, fully electronic processing of Certificates of Origin, returned to you by e-mail, fast and complaint with ICC Guidelines for Certificates of Origin; and the USCIB International Bookstore, which enables customers to learn international business through unique titles covering a range of topics.

Contact:
Hsin-Ya Hou, USCIB International Bookstore
+1 212.703.5066, hyhou@uscib.org

USCIB International Bookstore

More on USCIB’s Trade Services 

More on USCIB’s Banking Committee

Washington Tax Conference to Weigh New Scrutiny of Global Companies

Published on May 23, 2013

4517_image001Washington, D.C., May 23, 2013 – Against a backdrop of slow economic growth and increased attention to international corporate tax practices, executives from a range of global companies will meet with tax experts from the OECD and member governments at the 2013 OECD International Tax Conference, June 3-4 in Washington, D.C.

Now in its eighth year, the sold-out conference is organized by the United States Council for International Business (USCIB) in cooperation with the 34-nation OECD, which is the leading global forum for discussion of international tax policies.

“The OECD is a valuable source of guidance on sensible policies and regulation, especially on the tax front,” said Rob Mulligan, USCIB’s senior vice president for policy and government affairs. “Decisions on tax policy can have a major impact on cross-border investment flows, and policy makers must make wise choices to maximize economic growth, job creation and development.”

The conference will focus on the challenge of adapting longstanding international tax principles to the modern economy. At their summit in Mexico last year, G20 leaders explicitly referred to “the need to prevent base erosion and profit shifting,” or BEPS. G20 finance ministers subsequently asked the OECD to report on this issue by their meeting last February. The OECD report and follow-on action will be high on the agenda at this year’s conference.

Related issues up for discussion include transfer pricing of intangibles, jurisdiction to tax issues and tax transparency. Efforts to integrate the views of emerging and developing economies into the OECD’s work are also on the program.

Speakers at the two-day event will include:

  • Pascal Saint-Amans, director of the OECD’s Center for Tax Policy and Administration
  • Robert B. Stack, deputy assistant secretary for international tax policy, U.S. Treasury
  • Will Morris, director of global tax policy, GE International
  • Mike Williams, director of business and international tax, Her Majesty’s Treasury, U.K.
  • Bill Sample, corporate vice president for worldwide tax, Microsoft

“Governments need clear, consistent rules to collect an appropriate amount of tax from multinational enterprises doing business in their jurisdictions,” said Carol Doran Klein, USCIB’s vice president for tax policy. “Businesses need clear and consistent rules to foster trade and investment across borders.  Developing these rules requires dialogue among countries and business. This conference is an important part of that dialogue.”

The conference is co-organized by USCIB, the OECD and the Business and Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC) to the OECD, which officially represents the view of industry in the Paris-based body, and for which USCIB serves as the U.S. member federation. Supporting organizations include the International Fiscal Association, Tax Foundation, National Foreign Trade Council, Organization for International Investment, Tax Council Policy Institute, International Tax Policy Forum and Tax Executives Institute. Details are 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

Conference agenda and other information

 

G20 Is Responding to Business Concerns but Could Do Better

Published on May 13, 2013

4508_image002Paris and New York, May 13, 2013 – The G20 is responding to business concerns, but needs to further improve its performance in order to maintain momentum in the global economic recovery, according to a new report from the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

The second annual ICC G20 Business Scorecard, issued halfway through Russia’s presidency of the G20, was released by the Paris-based ICC and its American national committee, the United States Council for International Business (USCIB).

The scorecard assesses four policy areas that ICC’s G20 Advisory Group considers priorities for G20 attention: trade and investment, financing for growth and development, energy and environment, and anti-corruption.

Overall, the scorecard rates G20 responsiveness to business priorities as “fair,” indicating that G20 leaders are making progress but at a somewhat protracted pace. This is an improvement on the score from the 2012 scorecard, which rated overall progress as “poor.”

“It is encouraging to see the G20 making progress towards addressing business priorities, and this is reflected in an improved grade over last year,” said ICC Secretary General Jean-Guy Carrier. “However, this year’s mixed results indicate the G20 needs to do more to fulfill its self-defined role for leading the global economic recovery. Jobs and economic growth are in the balance.”

The ICC G20 Business Scorecard – which examines developments on business recommendations through to the end of the 2012 Mexican G20 presidency – measures progress on business priorities on a scale of:”‘inadequate,” “poor,” “fair” or “good.” It indicates that progress has been steady but limited, partially due to an unavoidable but distracting focus on responding to the on-going eurozone crisis.

Despite the “fair” overall score, the scorecard marks good performances in some policy areas. Notable areas of progress include a strengthened dialogue between business and the G20 on anti-corruption and steps taken under the Mexican G20 presidency to improve financial inclusion.

USCIB Chairman Terry McGraw (chairman, president and CEO, McGraw-Hill Financial) is among the members of the ICC G20 Advisory Group. McGraw will take the reins as chairman of ICC in July.

Click here for a longer version of this news release on ICC’s website, with additional tables from the ICC G20 Business Scorecard and background on other elements that were assessed.

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

Download the full ICC G20 Business Scorecard

More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee