Business In Society Archives

USCIB Raises Awareness for SDG Platform at Global Business Forum

Published on October 9, 2018
Business representatives from numerous countries were on hand to prepare views and share good practices relating to employers and job creation in connection with the SDGs.
“Businessfor2030 is really the perfect way to showcase what the business community is doing for the SDGs,” said Matthias Thorns of IOE.

 

The Global Business Forum on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) met in Madrid, Spain from October 1-2.  Business representatives from numerous countries were on hand to prepare views and share good practices relating to employers and job creation in connection with the SDGs. USCIB Policy and Program Assistant Mia Lauter represented U.S. employers and USCIB at the session.

The Forum, organized by the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) and hosted by Confederación Española de Organizaciones Empresariales (CEOE) with the support of the European Union, aimed to raise awareness of the SDGs and the contributions that businesses can make to their achievement and exchange experiences about the involvement of Employers’ Organizations (EOs) and discuss the role they can play. The Forum also sought to better understand the needs and expectations of companies – MNEs and SMEs alike – with regard to support from EOs, as well as learn about the challenges and opportunities arising from SDG reporting, see the SDGs in the larger context of UN reform. Finally the Forum aimed to define the key messages of business for the high-level review of SDG 8 in 2019; and identify key follow-up actions for the IOE and invited delegates.

Lauter discussed the role of employers’ organizations in achieving the SDGs with particular focus on USCIB’s web platform Businessfor2030.org, outlining three main purposes of the site:

  1. Understand: Businessfor2030 cuts through the UN complexities and jargon, and helps companies understand the expectations and opportunities for the private sector, connecting the SDGs to business value propositions
  2. Be Inspired: Businessfor2030 aggregates companies’ sustainability initiatives and re-broadcasts them in alignment with the SDGs, then directly targets them at the audience that cares – the UN. Explore case studies of private sector contributions to sustainable development and the SDGs.
  3. Get Involved: Businessfor2030 provides resources to connect companies, UN agencies and governments for public-private partnerships for the SDGs. It also offers opportunities for companies to add their own examples of case studies or contribute stories and policy views through the Bizfor2030 blog.

Lauter emphasized that achieving the SDGs calls for an all-of-society approach, and that Employers’ Organizations have the unique ability to connect the many stakeholders involved in social and economic aspects of sustainability.

Director of Stakeholder Engagement at IOE Matthias Thorns agreed. “Businessfor2030 is really the perfect way to showcase what the business community is doing for the SDGs,” said Thorns.

The Forum, which offered a global exchange among employers’ organizations on sustainable development, helped participants foster a better common understanding; learn from national experiences; identify areas of common concern; and agree on follow-up action, as well as facilitate public-private dialogue on the issue of business engagement on the SDGs.

USCIB Members Highlight Business Role in SDGs During UN General Assembly

Published on October 9, 2018
L-R: Gabriella Rigg Herzog (USCIB), Daniel Schwartz (Mastercard), Chris Gray (Pfizer), Shaun Mickus (J&J), Louise Kantrow (former Permanent Representative of the ICC to the UN)
USCIB convened a side event, “Making, valuing and communicating SDG Impact: U.S. Business Signposts for the Next 5 Years.”
In 2019, the UN will consider the first three years of implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and consider possible changes.

 

As governments gathered in New York for the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) from September 24 – 28, convened under the Presidency of Ambassador María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés (Ecuador), USCIB members highlighted the contribution and practical experience of the American private sector in advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

USCIB convened a side event, “Making, valuing and communicating SDG Impact: U.S. Business Signposts for the Next 5 Years.” The event was hosted by Deloitte on September 27th and gathered representatives from business, government and the UN system to share information and experiences in three areas critical to successful SDG action by businesses:

  1. Embedding sustainability into the core of company’s business models
  2. Measuring the impact of sustainability programs and initiatives
  3. Communicating impact to target audiences and key stakeholders

In 2019, the UN will consider the first three years of experience and implementation with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and consider possible changes.  USICB’s event made clear that, three years into the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, substantial progress has been made thanks to the commitment and action of U.S. business, but also flagged areas where stronger links with business would enhance progress towards the SDGs.

Director of the Office of Global Change at the U.S. Department of State Thomas DeBass acknowledged that business will deliver most of the funding for the SDGs, so it follows that governments and the UN must do a better job communicating to business. “Only 10 percent of the financing to achieve the SDGs will come through official development aid and related government sources,” said DeBass. “The other 90 percent will come about through private-sector investment. But we are still trying to convince the 90 percent using the language of the 10 percent.  We need to reorient our sales pitch to speak the language of business.”

Meanwhile companies recognize the business case for embedding sustainability across their operations. In fact, Novozymes’ Head of Corporate Sustainability and Public Affairs Claus Stig Pedersen noted, “we don’t have a sustainability policy, we have a business system that adjusts to sustainable development.”

Chief Strategy Officer for International Development at Deloitte Wade Warren pointed out that, “achieving the SDGs could unlock an additional $12 trillion in business opportunities.”  Yet, while business enthusiasm for the SDGs and the business opportunities that the SDGs create, is growing, the full potential of collaboration between the private sector, governments and the UN system has not been unlocked.

Norine Kennedy, USCIB vice president for environment, energy and strategic international engagement, called for a practical approach to “inclusive multilateralism” that will animate business to further develop and deploy technologies, know-how and investment to advance the Global Goals.

On September 27, the UN also held the third high-level meeting on Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs), which was attended by USCIB Vice President for Product Policy and Innovation Mike Michener. The two previous high-level sessions on NCDs took place in 2011 and 2014. The meeting on September 27th served as a comprehensive review of the prevention and control of NCDs and focused on the theme of strengthening health systems and financing for the prevention and control of NCDs, on each country’s path towards achieving universal health care, including through sharing evidence-based best practices, scientific knowledge and lessons learned.” The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) UN Representative in New York Andrew Wilson represented the private sector. The outcome of this meeting was an adopted UN Declaration on NCDs. 

The UN General Assembly is the supreme governing body of the United Nations.  This year’s session that will continue throughout the year into spring 2019 will focuses on the theme, “Making the United Nations Relevant to All People: Global Leadership and Shared Responsibility for Peaceful, Equitable and Sustainable Societies.”

USCIB will continue to work with member companies, governments and the UN system, to share expertise and foster partnerships to continue to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including through the Businessfor2030 web platform.

International Business Magazine: Fall/Summer 2018

Published on October 2, 2018

The Summer/Fall 2018 issue of USCIB’s quarterly International Business magazine is available here. The issue features a timely column by USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson titled, “The Myth of Private-Sector ‘Conflict of Interest’ at the UN. The issue also features news stories on how tariffs harm companies and consumers, tax reform impacts, and reinforcing US-China tie, plus news from our global network–Business at OECD, the International Organization of Employers and the International Chamber of Commerce.

“International Business,” USCIB’s quarterly journal, provides essential insight into major trade and investment topics, a high-level overview of USCIB policy advocacy and services, USCIB member news and updates from our global business network.

Subscribe to USCIB’s International Business Magazine

Subscriptions to “International Business” are available free upon request to representatives of USCIB member organizations. Contact us to subscribe.

Non-members may subscribe to “International Business” and other USCIB print publications at an annual rate of $50 (U.S.) for domestic delivery, or $75 for overseas delivery. Contact us to subscribe. USCIB’s annual report, studies from the United States Council Foundation and related publications are included with your paid subscription.

Our free electronic newsletter, “International Business Weekly,” provides regular updates on USCIB’s major activities and priorities. Click here to view a sample issue. Click here to subscribe.

We welcome outside submissions and inquiries regarding our publications – send them to news@uscib.org.

We welcome advertising in International Business magazine — special discounted rates for USCIB member organizations! Contact Kira Yevtukhova (kyevtukhova@uscib.org) for more information.

 

Op-Ed Dispels Myths of Business “Conflict of Interest” at UN

Published on September 25, 2018

As the annual United Nations General Assembly is underway in New York this week and next, USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson contributed a timely op-ed in The Hill, titled “UN’s private-sector phobia prevents if from hitting its lofty goals.”

“It is increasingly evident that the international community is not on track to deliver the expected results under the Paris Agreement (as well as the broader U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change) or the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals,” writes Robinson. “So why, at a moment when governments and international organizations should be actively seeking ways to encourage business to step up, is the private sector being accused of having a ‘conflict of interest’ or of actively seeking to upend global consensus?”

Robinson points out that accusations of conflict of interest are rampant across UN agencies, including the World Health Organization and in the context of the UN climate talks. He then outlines six “myths” about business influence in international policy-making and dispels them one by one.

To read the full op-ed, please visit The Hill.

 

USCIB Salutes Retiring US Diplomat Ted Allegra

Published on September 21, 2018
Ted Allegra
Photo credit: U.S. Mission photo Dominique Nicolas

Last week, senior U.S. diplomat Ted Allegra retired after 27 years in the State Department’s Foreign Service.  USCIB has worked closely with Ted Allegra over the past five years, through his service first as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs at the State Department and since 2015 as Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva.  As the representative of U.S. business to the broad network of UN agencies and international organizations headquartered in Geneva, USCIB works closely with senior officials at the Department of State and in U.S. Missions to international organizations.

“Allegra has consistently been a tower of strength and a good friend of USCIB and U.S. business,” noted USCIB Vice President for Investment and Financial Services Shaun Donnelly, who is also a former diplomat. In his final 18 months in Geneva, in the absence of a U.S. Ambassador, Allegra, as Chargé d’Affaires (effectively Acting U.S. Ambassador), carried the full responsibility of leading that important Mission, representing the U.S. Government to nearly two dozen Geneva-based international organizations.

Allegra is capping a very distinguished Foreign Service career.  In addition to his final five years focusing on the United Nations and international organization issues, Allegra served with distinction earlier as Deputy Executive Secretary of the State Department, as Deputy Chief of Mission (#2 U.S. diplomat) in the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia, and as the Department’s  Deputy Coordinator for Counter-terrorism.  Earlier in his career, Allegra served in U.S. Embassies and Consulates in Pakistan, Philippines and Cambodia.

USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson was effusive in his praise of Allegra. “Ted has been a fantastic partner for USCIB and for American business,” said Robinson. “Since Ambassador Pamela Hamamoto’s departure in January 2017, Ted has done a great job leading the U.S. Mission in Geneva.  We’ve worked with him on a range of challenging issues arising in the International Labor Organization, the World Health Organization, the World Intellectual Property Organization, the International Telecommunications Union and several other UN bodies and agencies.  Ted has always been available to meet with USCIB and our member companies, has listened to and understood our concerns and proposals, and has helped us find solutions.  When we took our first-ever official senior delegation of USCIB member companies to Geneva earlier this  year, Ted was incredibly generous with his time and wise in his advice.  I’ve worked with a lot of very senior U.S. Government diplomats in my career at USCIB and Ted Allegra is one of the very best.  We are sorry to see him leave the U.S. Mission in Geneva and the Foreign Service but we wish him well in future endeavors.  He leaves behind in Geneva both an impressive legacy and some big shoes to fill.”

 

Annual Conference Discusses Human Rights Trends and Developments

Published on September 18, 2018
Gabriella Rigg Herzog (USCIB) speaks at the 2018 Engaging Business Forum
Theme of 2018 forum: “Collaboration Through Partnerships to Address Business and Human Rights Trends and Developments.”
Forum brought together 200+ representatives from the private sector, U.S. government, civil society, academia, and international organizations to discuss the importance of partnerships in achieving business and human rights goals.

Since 2007, USCIB, The Coca-Cola Company, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the International Organization of Employers (IOE) have organized an annual forum on business and human rights to foster candid discussions and peer learning opportunities. The 10th Engaging Business Forum took place on September 13-14 at The Coca-Cola Company’s headquarters in Atlanta under the theme of “Collaboration Through Partnerships to Address Business and Human Rights Trends and Developments.”

The two-day forum has become the leading annual business and human rights convening in the United States, and this year brought together over 200 representatives from the private sector, U.S. government, civil society, academia, and international organizations to discuss the importance of partnerships in achieving business and human rights goals. Participants discussed leading business and human rights issues of the moment, including:

  • What does and doesn’t work in partnerships?
  • How business can work and interact with human rights defenders?
  • Best practices and challenges for business in providing access to remedy?
  • How to address the issue of wages in the supply chain?
  • Understanding diversity and inclusion in the workplace?

The keynote speaker at the event was Director-General of the International Labor Organization Guy Ryder. Other speakers included USCIB Vice President of Corporate Responsibility and Labor Affairs Gabriella Herzog, Director of Global Workplace Rights at The Coca-Cola Company Brent Wilton, Director of Stakeholder Engagement at IOE Matthias Thorns, and Michael Congiu of Littler Mendelson as the representative of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. USCIB member company speakers included The Walt Disney Company, Walmart, H&M, and Rio Tinto.

“Our role at USCIB is to support U.S. business in creating and supporting a more prosperous society, including through demonstrating respect for human rights in their activities,” said Herzog. “We’re proud to be a co-sponsor of this prestigious annual human rights event which provides sharing and learning opportunities about the important roles that governments, business and civil society representatives are playing to advance human rights around the world,” Herzog added.

The event’s agenda is available here.

 

Climate Talks Make Limited Progress, As Clock Runs Out on Implementation Rules

Published on September 18, 2018
Meeting adjourned with 300+ pages that negotiators have to transform into a set of rules for governments and businesses.
Sticking points: differential treatment of reporting procedures by developed and developing countries and lack of attention to reporting on financial assistance commitments.

 

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change convened an additional negotiating session in Bangkok, Thailand from September 4-10. Representatives of over 190 governments gathered in intense discussions to conclude rules for implementation of the Paris Agreement, which are due at the next climate governing body meeting in Poland from December 4-14.

While government representatives worked around the clock in Bangkok to develop streamlined negotiating text that could be finalized at the end of the year, the meeting adjourned with over 300 pages that negotiators will have to tackle in the limited time left and transform into a set of rules that governments and businesses can use as a blueprint for investment, energy mix and other long term decisions.

While the Bangkok deliberations were to focus on operational details relating to reporting, tracking and assessing government actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with nationally determined targets under the Paris Agreement, the discussions became contentious.

Sticking points related to differential treatment of reporting procedures by developed and developing countries, and the lack of attention to reporting on financial assistance commitments dating back to the conclusion of the Paris Agreement itself. Developing countries also continue to argue for the inclusion of loss and damage liability in future UN climate agreement procedures.

Business representatives from the International Chamber of Commerce and USCIB tracked the talks, meeting with key delegations from the U.S., Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. USCIB Vice President for Strategic International Engagement, Energy and Environment Norine Kennedy commented on the U.S. business stake in what might seem to be mainly technical details: “An important consideration for U.S. business is preserving American competitiveness and ensuring deployment of U.S. innovation in global markets. The nuts and bolts of reporting under the UN climate agreement will determine how reliably we can assess comparability of effort between countries, so we appreciate the Administration’s continuing focus on clear rigorous rules for reporting such governmental actions across every nation.”

USCIB Gears Up for Talks on Global Environment Pact

Published on September 18, 2018
The Pact is to be a binding, universal “umbrella text” providing a common global legal basis for environmental policy principles.
USCIB will work with the administration to communicate member views on developments and plan for USCIB engagement in the first substantive negotiations that will be held in January 2019 in Nairobi, Kenya.

The first negotiating meeting for a proposed UN Global Pact for Environment (GPE) took place at United Nations headquarters in New York September 5-7. USCIB Vice President for Corporate Responsibility and Labor Affairs Gabriella Rigg Herzog attended those deliberations, alongside USCIB members Pfizer and the American Chemistry Council (ACC). The meetings focused on organizing the GPE negotiating process and its future meetings, preparation of a UN Secretary General’s report on gaps in international environment policy that will serve as a basis for further negotiations and government positions and priorities relating to the GPE.

UN Member States have voted to launch a negotiation toward the development of a GPE earlier this year. An initiative of French President Emanuel Macron, the Pact is to be a binding, universal “umbrella text” providing a common global legal basis for environmental policy principles, such as the polluter-pays and precautionary principles, environmental rights-based approaches and other international environmental regulations and treaties.

“USCIB plans to submit a scoping paper for business on the GPE, raising questions and concerns based on what has already been agreed in relation to the GPE, such as the extent of U.S. business involvement in the negotiation process, assessment of GPE implications for international environmental policy and potential implications for the SDGs and existing environmental treaties, arising from the proposed GPE,” noted Rigg Herzog.

USCIB will work with the Administration to communicate member views on GPE developments, and plan for USCIB engagement in the first substantive negotiations on the GPE that will be held in January 2019 in Nairobi, Kenya.

Please contact Norine Kennedy for more information, or to get involved in USCIB’s Environment Committee.

USCIB Member Marriott Announced Winner of Prestigious Integrity Award

Published on September 18, 2018
Marriott International has been announced as the 2018 winner of the Coalition’s award.
USCIB works with the Coalition for Integrity on anti-bribery and anti-corruption issues, many of them related to the OECD’s Anti-bribery Convention.

 

For the fifth time in eight years, a USCIB member company has won the coveted annual Corporate Leadership Award of the Coalition for Integrity, a leading U.S. anti-corruption organization.  Marriott International has been announced as the 2018 winner of the Coalition’s award.  The award will be presented at the Coalition’s annual Integrity Awards Dinner on October 29 in Washington, DC.

Marriott joins fellow USCIB member companies Bechtel, GE, Coca-Cola, and PepsiCo as winners of the Corporate Leadership Award. USCIB has worked closely with the Coalition for Integrity on a range of anti-bribery and anti-corruption issues, many of them related to the OECD’s Anti-bribery Convention. USCIB Vice President for Investment and Financial Services Shaun Donnelly has been a longtime member of the Coalition for Integrity’s Policy Advisory Board.

USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson congratulated Marriott on being selected for the Coalition’s prestigious award, “All of us at USCIB are delighted to see another outstanding USCIB member company recognized again this year with this major anti-corruption award.  USCIB has worked closely with the Coalition for Integrity in recent years to combat bribery and corruption in international business. Marriott has a well-deserved reputation as a leader in this important area and is a very deserving recipient of this award.  USCIB and our member companies are devoted to integrity and responsible business conduct.”

 

Business Must Help Governments Chart New Course in Trade Policy, Writes ICC Secretary General

Published on September 6, 2018

ICC Secretary General John Denton published a letter in Financial Times on September 5 titled, “Let’s be constructive on trade and not just vent.” The letter responds to recent critique of a “muted response from U.S. chief executives to the ongoing escalation in global trade tensions,” particularly in response to President Donald Trump‘s threat to pull the U.S. out of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

“It is certainly true that there is an imperative for business to stand behind the multilateral trading system — now more so than ever,” writes Denton. “But I would suggest that the private sector has much more to offer than simply voicing its (well-founded) concerns. “Rather than adding fuel to the fire of an already polarized debate, business leaders must instead focus on helping governments chart a new course for trade policy-making that deals meaningfully with the pressures now building in the global economy. If tariffs are not the answer, then what are the alternatives? And how can the WTO, to use Mr Trump’s vernacular, best ‘shape up’ to avoid the U.S. shipping out?”

The full article can be viewed here. Member subscription required.