USCIB members discussed issues related to business and human rights with representatives of the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the U.S. Ambassador to the Human Rights Council at the 11th United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights. This year’s Forum was held in Geneva during the week of November 28 and focused on the topic, Rights Holders at the Center: Strengthening Accountability to Advance Business Respect for People and Planet in the Next Decade.
The Forum provided a platform for historically underrepresented groups to voice their concerns and for business to reiterate its commitment for advancing human rights. However according to USCIB Policy Associate Jose Arroyo, business representation during the formal sessions was unfortunately limited, making the side events and extra meetings, which were organized by USCIB and the International Organization of Employers (IOE), all the more important.
“USCIB and IOE expressed to the UN Working Group the need to engage business in the discussions and highlighted our common goals to address informality, close the gap between labor practice and labor law and encourage more decisive action from States in enforcing existing regulations,” said Arroyo.
“While notable discussions were held during the Forum, the absence of a business perspective across several panels was palpable,” added Arroyo. This message, as well as the fact that business should be regarded as a partner in the promotion and protection of human rights on the ground, was conveyed directly to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a private meeting organized by IOE.
“In our messaging to the High Commissioner, the business community clearly expressed our common goal to promote the Human Rights approach and reiterated our strong commitment to do the right thing,” concluded Arroyo.
In the USCIB-organized meeting with the U.S. Ambassador to the Human Rights Council, members had the opportunity to discuss their concerns regarding the draft UN Binding Treaty on Business and Human Rights and upcoming legislation in Europe, as well as to describe their due diligence efforts in the context of the UN Guiding Principles.
USCIB, along with the Chamber of Commerce, NFTC and Business Roundtable submitted an amicus brief on December 6 in support of Twitter. The Ninth Circuit has determined that Twitter, along with Google and Facebook, were generally aware that some supporters or members of ISIS—an international terrorist organization—were among the billions of users on their social media platforms; therefore, these companies are potentially liable for an ISIS attack that killed 39 people in Istanbul. The amicus brief argues that the Ninth Circuit’s decision should be reversed.
New York, N.Y., November 28, 2022—The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) sought an “Implementation Plus” approach in the outcomes of the recently concluded 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) in Sharm El Sheikh, in which the international community would realize progress in advancing food and energy security alongside climate action and mobilization of resources.
New York, N.Y., November 28, 2022—Today, the USCIB Foundation launched the ‘There’s More To Be Done’ Campaign, an initiative that seeks to maintain workplace wellbeing. Employers can encourage vaccination for COVID19 and other preventable illness by informing and educating employees on the benefit of vaccination. ‘There’s More To Be Done’ is a global movement of employers and is part of the Business Partners to CONVINCE initiative, which seeks to empower a “vaccine-literate” public.
During the week of October 24, USCIB Senior Counsel Ronnie Goldberg was in Geneva to attend the 8th session of the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group that is negotiating a UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights. According to Goldberg, USCIB and the International Organization of Employers (IOE) have long raised serious concerns about both the content of the proposed treaty and the process by which it is being negotiated.
USCIB policy experts are now at the 27th Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. In advance of COP27, USCIB 
As the United Nations opened its 77th Session of the General Assembly, USCIB was on hand to inform the deliberations. USCIB convened several high-level meetings, which delivered impactful and informative dialogues and practical next steps. Throughout, USCIB highlighted the private sector’s commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UN Secretary General’s visionary Our Common Agenda, and to effective and resilient multilateral institutions, led by the UN. Below, we are pleased to share perspectives by USCIB’s leadership—USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson and USCIB Board of Trustees’ Sustainability Champion and Novozymes CEO Ester Baiget—on UNGA77 and the private sector’s role, as well as summaries of USCIB events during UNGA77. Finally, we also include a look-ahead at USCIB’s ambitious plan for UN engagement and advocacy for 2023 and beyond by USCIB SVP Norine Kennedy.
USCIB has 
On the margins of the 77