Business In Society Archives

UN Urged to Engage Private Sector on Sustainable Development Goals

Published on March 29, 2013
Louise Kantrow, ICC’s permanent representative to the United Nations in New York
Louise Kantrow, ICC’s permanent representative to the United Nations in New York

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), part of USCIB’s global network, participated in the first session of the UN General Assembly’s Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which met March 14-15 at UN headquarters in New York to launch the intergovernmental process of developing a set of sustainable development goals.

ICC UN Permanent Representative Louise Kantrow addressed the UN General Assembly and delivered an intervention on behalf of business and industry, the scientific and technological community, and local authorities to emphasize the critical importance of engaging all stakeholders and major groups, particularly business, to ensure proper design and successful implementation.

Members of the Open Working Group were named after the adoption of a General Assembly resolution earlier in January which concluded extensive negotiations among member states to determine which countries should occupy the 30 seats.

Kantrow said that each goal should be well defined, underpinning all three dimensions of sustainable development. “Enabling conditions for sustainability will need to be front and center, building on a foundation of economic growth, improved quality of life, good governance, inclusion and strong institutions as key drivers of development,” she said.

Kantrow encouraged member states to build on recommendations that came out of the Rio+20 Conference in 2012 and to make the best use of the collaboration mechanisms, created through the Rio+20 process, through enhanced participation of major groups and other stakeholders in line with the multi-level and multi-stakeholder model.

USCIB, in partnership with ICC and other parts of its global network, will continue to provide business input to the SDG development process.

Staff contacts: Adam Greene and Norine Kennedy

APEC Members Look at Advertising Standards

Published on March 26, 2013

4472_image002Prior to the February meeting in Indonesia of the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Committee on Trade and Investment, each of the lead representatives of the 21 member economies were urged by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), part of USCIB’s global network, to support work advancing advertising standards in the region.

USCIB is working with ICC and a range of U.S. business groups to present business views to APEC member economies throughout Indonesia’s host year.

ICC, a leading proponent of self-regulation in many spheres, maintains a highly regarded code on marketing and advertising, which is used as a model by self-regulatory authorities around the world. In a letter, ICC Secretary General Jean-Guy Carrier expressed global business support and ICC endorsement of an Australian-led initiative to develop common principles for advertising standards across APEC economies, with the aim of reducing technical trade barriers.

eferring to a report from a November 2012 dialogue in Vietnam, where government and industry participants issued recommendations, Carrier highlighted the importance of APEC support and follow-up on capacity building proposals to help economies getting started or wishing to further develop national standards to the ICC Code and the best practice model recommendations for self-regulation. Read more on ICC’s website.

On February 19, USCIB’s Marketing and Advertising Committee organized a call with the U.S. Trade Representative’s office and the ICC Marketing Commission to discuss self-regulation in advertising in the APEC area, and the possibility for capacity-building within APEC to promote effective self-regulation of advertising. Outcomes of the call included exploring a possible workshop on self-regulation during the Indonesia APEC year and reporting out to senior APEC officials on the ICC’s code.

Staff contact: Justine Badimon and Charlene Flick

WHO Urged to Improve Consultation With the Private Sector

Published on March 22, 2013
WHO headquarters in Geneva
WHO headquarters in Geneva

USCIB is joining with other industry groups in urging the World Health Organization to improve its procedures for engaging with the business community and other stakeholders.

In February, as part of a broader reform effort, WHO’s executive board decided to conduct public, Web-based consultations on draft principles and policies of engagement with non-state actors.

“USCIB is pleased that WHO is now undertaking this process to consider how to engage with the private sector and other stakeholders,” said Helen Medina, USCIB’s director of product policy.

“In spite of the contributions that business makes to health care innovation, and the impacts of WHO norms and standards on business, WHO has traditionally maintained limited options for business observer organizations.”

WHO is the lead organization for health policy matters within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.

Reflecting on decades of experience in undertaking proactive engagement with other intergovernmental bodies, including in the areas of environmental affairs and product policy, USCIB encouraged WHO to follow the lead of other UN agencies in better integrating business views into its deliberations.

In its submission, USCIB noted that the private sector is highly diverse in terms of industries, company size and geographical location. Given the wide array of issues addressed by WHO, USCIB said it is essential to provide business and industry adequate representation in order to enable broad and deep engagement across the private sector.

Business and industry is vested in good outcomes for society and human health, USCIB said, and it plays an important role in addressing global health priorities. The private sector can harness its expertise to innovate, research and provide solutions in areas related to health and wellbeing. Business’s commercial activities generate employment, tax revenue and other important resources for societal and individual well-being.

USCIB said the WHO should strive for transparency, engage with business and industry as part of civil society, and take the private sector’s science-based views into account.

At the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development, UN member states agreed that sustainable development could not be achieved by governments alone. Engagement with business and industry, along with other important societal interests, is a recognized feature of many other UN bodies.

USCIB will continue to work with its industry partners to encourage WHO to follow the lead of other UN bodies in engaging business and other groups in a transparent and consistent manner, respecting good governance and transparency, and avoiding conflicts of interest.

USCIB’s comments were submitted alongside those of other industry groups, including the International Organization of Employers (part of USCIB’s global network), CropLife International, the Global Alcohol Producers Group, the International Food and Beverage Alliance, and the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations.

Staff contacts: Helen Medina and Norine Kennedy

More on USCIB’s Environment Committee

More on USCIB’s Product Policy Working Group

UN Environment Program Begins Work Under New Mandate

Published on February 26, 2013
John Matuszak of the State Department and USCIB’s Norine Kennedy in Nairobi during a briefing on the Green Economies Dialogue project
John Matuszak of the State Department and USCIB’s Norine Kennedy in Nairobi during a briefing on the Green Economies Dialogue project

The first “universal” meeting of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Governing Council wrapped up last week in Nairobi, Kenya, having agreed on future directions and priorities for the newly strengthened UN body in guiding international policy on issues like the green economy, sustainable consumption and production, and chemicals.

In an important development, Norine Kennedy, USCIB’s vice president for environment and energy, was elected to serve as one of three key UNEP stakeholder group representatives. Representing the business community (with other stakeholder representatives from the indigenous peoples and environmental law communities), Kennedy will advise UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner and other UNEP officials to support the strong involvement of business and other important non-governmental interests in the organization’s new governance structure.

Decisions taken in Nairobi are expected to have an impact far into the future as UNEP establishes itself as the preeminent platform for international environmental policy-making and action. UNEP was mandated by the last year’s Rio+20 summit and UN General Assembly session to lead UN work on environmental aspects of sustainability. The meeting was “universal” in the sense that all 193 UN members are now members of UNEP, which previously had a smaller number of governments involved directly in its decision-making.

In Nairobi, ministers and government representatives from 193 member states adopted numerous decisions regarding UNEP’s operations and work program. These included the transformation of the existing UNEP Governing Council into a UN  Environment Assembly, and the creation of stronger links between UNEP’s science-based Global Environment Outlook process and its ministerial meetings – further implementing the call by UN member states at Rio+20 to strengthen the science/policy interface.

According to Kennedy, USCIB places particular importance on UNEP’s efforts to strengthen its scientific base. “We hope to explore additional options for business cooperation with UNEP on expert, science and research matters relating to its work program, such as the recent first meeting of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and EcoSystems Services,” she said.

In the year ahead, UNEP will  take up work on human rights and the environment, environmental law and new procedures for non-governmental and business participation in its work. UNEP will also host and coordinate the Climate Technology Center and Network, which will implement the technology-transfer mechanism of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

USCIB’s Environment Committee has provided its recommendations on business priorities in UNEP’s broad work program, particularly relating to protecting and safeguarding information that is commercially important, such as IPR, CBI and trade secrets, in the context of increasing access to information.

Green Economies Dialogue session

4453_image004In conjunction with the Governing Council, the USCIB’s Green Economies Dialogue initiative held its first African event on February 21 at UNEP headquarters. The side event, entitled “Green Economies in Global Markets: Opportunities for Developing Countries to Innovate and Benefit,” highlighted opportunities and challenges in greening economic development and growth in developing countries, with a special focus on Africa.

The session featured a presentation by Micael Da Costa of CleanStar Mozambique, an integrated food, energy and forest protection business, as an example of an innovative business approach to greening economic activity that fits well with African needs and aspirations. The CleanStar business model offers economic, environmental and social benefits, providing connections between small and large companies and offering tangible improvements in health and development in Africa.

Other speakers included John Matuszak of the U.S. State Department, Robert Dixon of the Global Environment Facility, Asad Naqvi of UNEP’s Green Economy initiative and Green Economies Dialogue Chair Brian Flannery. The side event was attended by representations of governments, academia, business and NGOs, and highlighted priority areas in greener development and enabling frameworks for investment and public private partnership. It provided perspectives on where UNEP can work with business to advance and accelerate priorities for greener growth most relevant to developing countries.

The Green Economies Dialogue project was founded in 2011 by the United States Council Foundation and a host of sponsors and partners. It seeks to provides business perspectives into the international policy debate on ways to promote greener economic, social and environmental progress. It has done so through previous dialogue meetings with national governments and other stakeholders, including the OECD, in Washington, Paris, Beijing, Tokyo, Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro. It has also commissioned  peer-reviewed papers by respected academic authors on green economy topics of interest to business, published last year in a special “Green Perspectives” volume of the journal Energy Economics.

For more information on the Green Economies Dialogue project, visit www.green-dialogue.org

Staff contact: Norine Kennedy

More on USCIB’s Environment Committee

G20 Employment Task Force Hears Business Perspective on Job Creation

Published on February 22, 2013

Employers and trade unions recently held consultations in Moscow with the G20 Employment Task Force, according to the International Organization of Employers. The session was hosted by the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, whose vice president, David Iakobachvili, presented the business perspective along with his fellow co-chair of the B20 Job Creation Task Force, Erol Kiresepi of the Turkish employer federation TISK.

In their comments to the task force, Iakobachvili and Kiresepi called on the G20 to recognize the key job-creating role of the private sector, and to commit to addressing within their respective economies the barriers to business creation and growth. Iakobachvili cited “complicated and rigid labor law” as a major stumbling block to hiring, especially for SMEs. He recommended improving education and training systems to match skill sets with the needs of business.

Kirespi called for countries to share experiences by mapping and measuring instruments that were successful, cost-effective and could be replicated.

USCIB Executive Vice President Ronnie Goldberg is a member of the B20 Job Creation Task Force, which is coordinated by the IOE and the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD. The task force will next meet in March in Geneva to advance plans for a private-sector apprenticeship network.

Read more on the IOE’s website.

Staff contact: Ronnie Goldberg

More on USCIB’s Labor and Employment Policy Committee

APEC’s “Indonesia Year” Gets Underway at Chemical Dialogue

Published on February 11, 2013

4439_image002USCIB continues to maintain a high profile in the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) forum, which groups the United States and 20 other economies in the Asia-Pacific region. This is especially true in areas where we bring high functional expertise, such as customs, privacy and chemicals. The latter issue was among those addressed at this year’s first APEC senior officials meeting (SOM I) in Jakarta at the end of January and the beginning of February. (Indonesia has taken over from last year’s host, Russia; China is slated to serve as APEC host next year.)

Several USCIB members joined Helen Medina, director of life sciences and product policy, at the APEC Chemical Dialogue’s steering group meeting during SOM I. The Chemical Dialogue’s overall goals are to facilitate trade in the region through expanded cooperation and mutual recognition among chemical regulators, to enhance understanding of the chemical industry’s innovative role, and to encourage chemical product stewardship, safe use and sustainability.

This year, the Chemical Dialogue will continue to promote the implementation of the UN’s Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals – a set of guidelines aimed at simplifying regulations and labeling requirements, as well as improving safety and environmental protection – by APEC member economies. Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) and Australia are lending support to the effort by assembling a clearinghouse on labeling initiatives and case studies on how APEC economies are implementing the UN system.

Chemicals Dialogue members are also evaluating the implementation of the EU’s REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) initiative, which regulates use of chemicals throughout a product’s life cycle, and which has had a large impact on companies up and down the supply chain. USCIB’s Medina made the case that regional initiatives like REACH need to take account of the global impact such rules can have, given today’s highly integrated global production networks.

The treatment of confidential business information is an important issue in chemicals regulation and product policy. While regulators must collect product information in order to carry out their programs, companies also need to protect trade secrets. USCIB is leading an effort to survey APEC member economies on their treatment of confidential business information. “Companies must be committed to designing and selling products safe for the users and environment in all markets, and have the confidence that intellectual property will be protected,” commented Beth Hulse, global regulatory manager at GE.

A number of additional programs are underway in the APEC Chemical Dialogue to promote regulatory cooperation and analyze the potential hazards of specific products and substances. USCIB members came away impressed with the discussion in Jakarta. “The sessions provided in-depth insight into cooperation between economies to forge a fair regulatory framework that promotes trade and environmental awareness,” said Poh Cheng Oh, compliance program manager with Hewlett-Packard.

APEC’s 2nd senior officials meeting takes place April 6-19 in Surabaya, Indonesia and include a meeting of trade ministers. The next round of APEC Chemical Dialogue meetings will take place June 22-24, during SOM III, in Meden, Indonesia. The APEC Leaders Meeting takes place October 5-7 in Bali. You can read a 2-page backgrounder on USCIB’s activities and priorities for APEC in 2013 by clicking here.

 

Staff contact: Helen Medina and Justine Badimon

USCIB APEC 2013 Backgrounder

More on USCIB’s Product Policy Working Group

Natural Gas Exports: Seeking Synergy Between Environment, Energy and Trade Policy

Published on January 22, 2013
A tanker transporting liquefied natural gas
A tanker transporting liquefied natural gas

In the context of current discussions about the export of liquefied natural gas from the United States, we believe that fundamental principles of environmental, energy and trade policy that USCIB has supported over the years remain relevant.

USCIB has long championed expanded trade and investment, and the elimination of barriers to global commerce, including in the energy sector, under a rules-based system, and we support established WTO rules limiting export and import bans. Erecting new barriers to LNG exports would run counter to our past positions and efforts by the American business community to discourage restrictions by other countries.

Throughout our work to promote international cooperation on climate change and energy security, USCIB has advocated keeping all energy options on the table in the transition to a greener economy. In that connection, we have underscored the critical importance of open trade as a means to disseminate cleaner technologies and energy options, and have signaled the adverse environmental impacts of export bans.

Increased domestic supplies of natural gas are already providing a competitive edge for many U.S.-based manufacturers, with positive impacts on jobs both in the energy sector and in the economy as a whole. Many observers, including the International Energy Agency, predict that the United States will become a net energy exporter, which would have major economic and geopolitical ramifications. Additionally, there is potential for natural gas, with its much lower climate footprint, to surpass coal as the world’s number-two energy source.

We appreciate the concerns voiced about LNG exports, including the potential for increased U.S. energy costs, and these concerns should not be taken lightly. As U.S. companies operate in global markets, they need access to affordable and sustainable energy in order to remain competitive. With wise policy choices, the domestic energy revolution has the potential to bring major economic and environmental advantages to the U.S. business community, and to U.S. citizens.

More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee

More on USCIB’s Environment Committee

At UN Biodiversity Panel, Business Affirms Importance of Strengthening Science/Policy Links

Published on January 21, 2013

4425_image002A group of business representatives from USCIB and the International Chamber of Commerce have joined the first session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Eco-System Services (IPBES), which is being held this week in Bonn, Germany.

Inspired by the influential Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, this new UN body, involving over 100 countries and international governmental and non-governmental institutions, will bring together leading scientists with government representatives and other important societal interests to assess biodiversity and eco-system impacts and bring forward consensus scientific and economic reports. These findings are expected to provide a basis for decisions and priorities in major international environmental treaties, and to inform policy-making by national governments.

In a statement to the opening session on behalf of business groups attending the meeting, Norine Kennedy, USCIB’s vice president for environment and energy, said business “encourages IPBES to flag economic impacts, both positive and negative, relevant to biodiversity and eco-system services – for example, jobs, livelihoods, competitiveness.”

Kennedy said the potential contribution of the new forum would undoubtedly touch on critical investment and planning matters for companies across a range of sectors. She cited access to natural resources, valuation of cost-benefit analysis and the potential inclusion of business and industry research as important matters up for discussion by the panel.

The IPBES will include observers, such as non-governmental and business organizations, as partners in meetings and other aspects of the group’s work. Kennedy said business organizations will weigh next steps to ensure substantive and rigorous input that reflects industry expertise and realities. IPBES, which will now be headquartered in Bonn, will likely meet again at the end of 2013.

More on USCIB’s Environment Committee

More on USCIB’s Green Economies Dialogue initiative

Doha Meeting Points Way Toward a New International Climate Agreement

Published on December 13, 2012

4414_image002The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change closed its 18th governing body meeting (known as COP18) last week in Doha, following two weeks of contentious negotiations. Decisions made in Doha set a course for the development of a longer-term and more inclusive climate agreement, to be concluded by 2015. Governments also endorsed two UN new bodies, on finance and technology, and defined the commitments, duration and carbon-market elements for a second phase of the Kyoto Protocol.

“Before and during COP18, we made the case for outcomes that would strengthen enabling frameworks for innovation and investment,” explained Norine Kennedy, USCIB’s vice president for environment and energy. “USCIB has advocated the need to engage business expertise in framing effective international policies and practices for greenhouse-gas reduction and responding to the impacts of climate change.” She said USCIB, having been involved in the UN climate-change negotiations since 1993, provided an economy-wide and multi-sectoral perspective on behalf of its members to promote energy security and deploy cleaner technologies.

Intellectual property a concern

According to Kennedy, USCIB members worked closely with key governmental representatives to ensure that outcomes in Doha did not call into question the importance of intellectual property rights protection, or open an unnecessary and distracting discussion of IP outside of the climate body’s competence and mandate. She said access to energy and technology would be critical in scaling up the necessary investments and deployments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and Doha outcomes can enable cooperation to mobilize private-sector contributions and know-how.

Kennedy pointed out that the outcomes of COP18, while limited in some respects, reflect the challenges inherent in this negotiation, due to its economic and competitiveness impacts. “While some observers consider the outcomes of COP18 underwhelming, we understand that this is a marathon which, while slow, is yielding results,” she said. “We are especially pleased to note the increasing acceptance of business involvement in new institutions that will be providing finance and technology to developing countries.”

In a November 28 letter to Todd Stern, the lead U.S. government climate negotiator, USCIB highlighted the importance of maintaining strong protection of intellectual property rights, regulatory clarity and practical, business-oriented solutions, including preparedness for short-term extreme weather events and planning for longer-term resilience in a changing climate. The letter also stressed the importance of the broader economic context, stating that “the global trade system should be seen as a vehicle for broader dissemination of technologies and other solutions to address climate challenges and advance greener growth.”

“Doha Dialogue”

USCIB took part in the Doha Dialogue at COP18, convened by the Major Economies Business Forum (BizMEF). This meeting laid out options for enhancing the substantive involvement of business in the UN climate process and its institutions. High level representatives from governments and inter-governmental bodies, and business people, agreed to continue and deepen the discussions at COP19, which will take place in Warsaw in November 2013.

BizMEF is a partnership of leading multi-sectoral business organizations from major economies and regions, including USCIB. Modeled after the government-to-government Major Economies Forum, BizMEF promotes dialogue on climate change and energy security across a broad spectrum of business interests including major developed, emerging, and developing economies.

In the coming weeks, USCIB will provide members with a fuller report of Doha outcomes and discuss its priorities for 2013 in international climate and energy policy.

 

More on USCIB’s Environment Committee

Business Makes the Case for Stronger Role in UN Climate Process

Published on December 7, 2012

4410_image001Doha, Qatar, December 7, 2012 – As the 18th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) nears its conclusion, the Major Economies Business Forum (BizMEF) – a coalition of 20 cross-sectoral business groups from six continents, including USCIB – is in dialogue with governments to develop better ways to inform the international climate deliberations.

Business and many governments view the effort as timely in light of efforts now underway to create new institutions on finance, technology and adaptation, and to begin negotiation of a new, long-term agreement.

“It is clear that business offers a deep and broad resource of expertise and information,” according to Norine Kennedy, USCIB’s vice president of environment and energy. “This can strengthen the practicality and economic viability of a comprehensive post-2020 agreement, supported by trade, investment and innovation.”

Earlier this week, the “Doha Dialogue” brought together government and business delegates to highlight the important role of business and consider ways to enhance it. The effort builds on public-private dialogues organized by Mexico and South Africa, previous COP hosts. The Doha Dialogue was convened by BizMEF with the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Dialogue is part of a larger effort by BizMEF and other business groups to work together toward a recognized channel for business to contribute its expertise and practical experience to the climate change talks.

Abdullah bin Mubarak Bin Ebood al Maadadi, Qatar’s environment minister, opened the dialogue at the Doha Hilton before a standing room-only audience that included ministers and senior officials from Denmark, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Korea, Switzerland, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations, as well as business leaders from across the globe.

Government representatives were supportive of an enhanced business role in the UN talks. “The Doha Dialogue has provided a unique opportunity to enhance business engagement in the UNFCCC process, which is necessary for climate negotiations to be practical and pragmatic,” stated Ambassador Masafumi Ishii, director general for global issues with the Japanese ministry of foreign affairs.

BizMEF spokesperson Brian Flannery said participants agreed to build on the success in the Doha session at next year’s conference of the parties. “We were delighted that ministers, negotiators and others endorsed the value that business experience and advice can bring to the international process,” he said. “We welcome the encouragement from governments and others. We will continue the dialogues to develop more effective avenues for a full range of business participation.”

USCIB’s Kennedy added: “No single entity can speak for all of the business community. What’s needed is a dedicated channel where governments can get a broad range of business views. The Doha Dialogue showed we have valuable experience to share. Now we just need to set up an architecture to make it happen.”

“Business engagement to the UNFCCC process is key for a successful solution,” said Hiroyuki Tezuka, chair of the global environmental strategy working group at the Japanese business federation KEIDANREN. “The business sector has the experience, technologies and best practices to cope with the complex issues related to climate change.”

More information on BizMEF’s membership, role 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.

More on USCIB’s Environment Committee