Policy Areas Archives

FFD3 Emphasizes Enhanced Role for Private Sector

Published on July 20, 2015

USCIB and its global network have welcomed the conclusion of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD3), as the outcome emphasizes an enhanced role for the private sector in the United Nations Post-2015 Development Agenda. FfD3 formally concluded on July 16 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia after three days of negotiations to agree on a new global financing framework to support sustainable development. The final text—known as the Addis Ababa Action Agenda—sets out  the means of implementation, including technology, domestic resource mobilization and blended finance and investment for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In a letter to Ambassador Lisa Kubiske of the U.S. State Department, dated July 7, USCIB’s President and CEO, Peter Robinson stated that a successful FfD3 would “amplify the opportunity to catalyze private initiative and investment to advance sustainable development and economic growth.  It will be actionable and practical for governments and business; it will synergize with the global market place and provide opportunities to advance entrepreneurship in support of shared prosperity.”  In that letter, Robinson also raised USCIB’s concerns with some aspects of the Addis outcome, relating to taxation and the proposed technology facilitation mechanism in terms of its role vis-à-vis protection of intellectual property.

USCIB played a central role in marshaling business input into FfD3, having worked actively with members and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) to ensure that the private sector’s voice was heard in Addis. USCIB and its members have engaged on several occasions with the U.S. negotiating team, and USCIB Vice President Ariel Meyerstein met with the co-facilitators of the FfD3 process as part of the Business Steering Committee for Financing for Development, chaired by the ICC Permanent Representative to the UN, Louise Kantrow.

USCIB was instrumental in organizing the conference’s landmark Business Forum on July 14. USCIB lined up an impressive array of member speakers for the business forum to share their insights about investing in emerging markets, including Jay Collins, vice chairman of corporate investment banking at Citi; Peter Sullivan, head of the Africa public sector group at Citi; Walt M. MacNee, executive vice chairman of MasterCard; Elaine Weidman, vice president for sustainability and corporate responsibility at Ericsson; and Jay Ireland, CEO of GE Africa.

“We welcome the Addis agreement as an important step towards realizing a more sustainable and prosperous future for us all,” said International Chamber of Commerce Secretary General John Danilovich. “By establishing a framework that seeks to harness private sector investment, we’ve seen a major leap forward in the international community’s approach to development cooperation.” (Read ICC Secretary General John Danilovich’s letter to the Financial Times on enabling trade for development.)

The private sector and other development institutions and donor countries led the way in a number of areas that went far beyond the confines of the Outcome Document. Several blended finance initiatives were announced, including the Sustainable Development Investment Partnership, which will try to unlock private capital for development, and Convergence, an online platform for developing a pipeline of projects ripe for investment and the exchange of information and capacity building. In addition, the European Union announced that it would add $2.8 billion to Power Africa, an initiative spearheaded by the U.S. government and private sector companies and other partners in sub-Saharan Africa to add more than 30,000 megawatts (MW) of cleaner, more efficient electricity generation capacity as well as increase electricity access by adding 60 million new home and business connections. Other major international financial institutions announced plans to make $400 billion available in the next three years to finance the sustainable development goals.

The conference also provided some cliffhanging moments of concern to business as a proposal by developing countries to elevate the UN tax committee to an intergovernmental body with universal membership nearly brought the conference to a stalemate. The proposal was ultimately rejected, but some in civil society were disappointed with that outcome and along with some governments, can be expected to continue to press for such an upgrade to be reconsidered during the remaining negotiations leading to the UN General Assembly and Post 2015 Summit in September. Significantly, a number of global initiatives were launched to improve the capacity of national tax authorities because taxation is a key aspect of domestic resource mobilization – one of the key resource streams for financing development that could surpass the revenue streams from both foreign direct investment and official development assistance (ODA). These initiatives included the launch of the OECD’s Tax Collectors Beyond Borders Project (a joint venture of the UN Development Program and the OECD) and the Addis Tax Initiative (an effort by 18 developed countries, including the United States, to double official development assistance for tax authority capacity) and a joint World Bank/IMF initiative to provide capacity building for tax authorities in developing countries.

USCIB’s SDG Working Group, chaired by Tam Nguyen (Bechtel) and Brian Lowry (Monsanto), will continue to weigh in to the UN and the administration on USCIB member interests as the UN process continues to deliberate on a wide range of business issues and implementation.  In addition, USCIB has created an online platform to showcase the private sector’s continuing contributions to sustainable development, and demonstrates the many ongoing business initiatives in support of the UN’s Post-2015 Development Agenda. Visit businessforpost-2015.org to learn more.

 

Enable Trade for Development, ICC Secretary General Writes in FT

Published on July 15, 2015
John Danilovich (ICC)
John Danilovich (ICC)

During the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, which took place in Addis Ababa from July 13 to 16, the Financial Times published a letter by ICC Secretary General John Danilovich underscoring the need to reform the global trading system to support the post-2015 sustainable development agenda.

The full text of the letter follows:

Addis declaration must mark the start of a push on three commitments

Sir, Your editorial “Global leaders must back broader growth tactics” (July 13) on this week’s Financing for Development conference in Addis Ababa, rightly centres on the disconnect between diplomatic rhetoric and real world action when it comes to fostering development. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the issue of reforming the global trading system in support of the world’s poorest.

If we are to make 2015 the year of sustainable development, the Addis declaration must mark the start of a concerted push to deliver on three longstanding commitments.

First, governments should ratify and implement the World Trade Organisation’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) without delay. This deal – forged in 2013 but ratified by only eight governments to date – would have a transformational effect on the ability of entrepreneurs in developing countries to access global markets by reducing unnecessary red tape at borders. Implementing the TFA, which would also support broader efforts to eliminate corruption and reduce rates of food wastage, should be seen a quick win to deliver on the promise of the post-2015 development agenda.

Second, action is needed to address a growing shortage of bank finance to support trade. Trade finance is one of the safest forms of financing and has the advantage of directly promoting development through trade. According to the Asian Development Bank, there is currently a $1.9tn financing gap for trade globally – with as much as $900bn of the shortfall in developing Asian economies alone. The causes of this problem are multi-faceted: from skills shortages in the financial and commercial sectors through to the unintended effects of national financial crime policies. None will be easy to resolve, but that must not be an excuse for inaction.

Finally, it is imperative that world leaders exercise the political will to conclude the long-stalled Doha Round of trade talks after almost 14 years of periodic crises and missed deadlines. Recent reports have once again called into question whether governments will be able to meet their latest goal of striking a grand bargain by the end of the year. G20 leaders, in particular, must definitively commit to an agreement and give their negotiators the necessary latitude to deliver it. Concluding the round would send the clearest of signals that the international community is finally serious about turning words into action when it comes to enabling trade for development. We must all invest the time and effort to get the Doha deal done.

John Danilovich
Secretary General,
International Chamber of Commerce,
Paris, France

Click here to read the original letter published on July 14 by the Financial Times

Information and Resources

Published on July 14, 2015

campaign2015_logo

High-level Business Summit on Energy and Climate

December 8th and 9th, MEDEF Headquarters, Paris

Documents and PowerPoint Presentations from Major Economies Business Forum (BizMEF) official side-event Business Perspectives on Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC’s) at COP-21, December 10, 2015:

  • Agenda
  • Norine Kennedy, USCIB presentation on BizMEF INDC survey
  • Tennet Reed, Australia Industry Group, presentation and perspective on Australian perspective of INDC
  • Jean-Baptiste Baroni, MEDEF, presentation on EU INDC
  • Hiro Tezuka, Keidaren, presentation and perspective on Japanese INDC
  • John Carnegie, BusinessNZ, presentation on New Zealand INDC
  • Steve Eule, US Chamber of Commerce, Institute for 21st Century Energy, presentation and perspective on USA INDC
  • Henrique Schneider, The Swiss Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises, presentation and perspective on Switzerland INDC
  • Brian Flannery, BizMEF, presentation on Business Perspectives on INDC Portfolio
  • Presentation on Simulations of INDCS (national and portfolio), Professor Keigo Akimoto, Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE)

PowerPoint Presentations from November 17th U.S. Business Preparatory Meeting for COP-21:

New Position Papers from the Major Economies Business Forum on Energy Security and Climate Change (BizMEF):

Engaging Business: USCIB’s International Climate Policy Update:

Volume 1, August Issue

Volume 2, October Issue

Volume 3, November Issue coming soon!

USCIB has signed on to several letters and policy recommendations regarding the UN climate agreement, including:

As the American affiliate of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), USCIB actively supports ICC’s presence at UN climate conferences. USCIB is also a founding member of the Major Economies Business Forum on Energy Security and Climate Change (BizMEF), which comprises national and regional business organizations representing millions of companies all over the world. BizMEF members have participated in and shared views and meetings of the UNFCCC since COP15 in Copenhagen in 2009.

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Press Coverage

Published on July 14, 2015

Obama Announces Rule to Cut Carbon Emissions From Power Plants

Wall Street Journal, August 3, 2015

“Norine Kennedy, vice president for environment and energy for the United States Council for International Business, said the administration’s ambition in reducing carbon emissions is commendable. But thorny issues, such as agreeing on a plan to verify countries’ emissions cuts and finding sources of money to aid developing countries in reducing emissions, still must be resolved before Paris, she said.”

Climate Change and Trade Policy

New York Times, June 15, 2015

“But we should offer carrots instead of sticks to accelerate the transition to greener energy. Rather than threatening higher-emitting countries with punitive tariffs, we should roll back barriers to trade in environmental goods and services.” USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson.

Climate policy embraces a range of approaches 

Financial Times, June 3, 2015

“While carbon pricing may be the most cost-effective climate solution in some countries, other approaches — such as incentive-based systems or efficiency standards — may be a more viable option elsewhere. What’s more, carbon pricing schemes also need to be carefully designed to promote a global level playing field for commerce and to enable future trade-driven growth.” ICC Secretary General John Danilovich

Too much on the table? How businesses should approach the SDGs

Devex, April 14, 2015

The proposed post-2015 development agenda currently consists of 17 goals and 169 targets. From a business standpoint, how should the private sector make sense of these? Watch this video interview with USCIB’s Norine Kennedy

Business Calls for Greater Say in Climate Talks

Financial Times, December 10, 2014

“We want to find an opportunity where we are more inside the tent than on the sidelines,” said Peter Robinson chief executive of the US Council for International Business. He added businesses should be “co-parties” in the talks, not mere observers. “If a global agreement on climate change doesn’t work for and with businesses, it just won’t work,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson.

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On the Road to COP21

Published on July 14, 2015

Upcoming Events

All events are by invitation only and participation must be confirmed by USCIB staff.

December 1, Paris, venue: US Government Pavilion, “Deploying Innovative Technologies for Climate Change: Looking to Trade to Jumpstart Paris Action”, 5:45 pm – 6:45 pm

December 2, Paris, venue: French Government Climate Generations Area, Room: Salle 7, “Business, the SDGs and Climate Change: Synergies and Engagement Opportunities”, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm

December 5, Paris, venue: George Marshall Center, Embassy of the United States, “USCIB-American Chamber of Commerce, Executive Briefing and High Level Roundtable Meeting for US Business” 9:30 am – 2:00 pm

December 10, Paris, venue: UNFCCC official side-event in the Blue Zone: “BizMEF side-event on INDC’s (Nationally Determined Contributions)”, 3:00 pm – 430 pm

Featured Events

L-R: James Bacchus (ICC and Greenberg Traurig), William Craft (U.S. State Department) and Norine Kennedy (USCIB)
L-R: James Bacchus (ICC and Greenberg Traurig), William Craft (U.S. State Department) and Norine Kennedy (USCIB)

North American Regional Consultation on Climate Change: Private-Public Dialogue for a Successful COP21

Event Program

June 23, Washington, D.C.

Speaker Presentations:

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Impact of the UN Climate Agreement on U.S. Business

Published on July 14, 2015

The UN post-2015 climate agreement will be built on member countries’ Independent Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), or binding pledges, in which each country commits to lowering its greenhouse gas emissions by certain amounts over the next several decades. The United States, for example, has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent by 2020, and by 83 percent in 2050.

The agreement will have far-reaching effects on the world economy. Global markets will be impacted, including emissions trading markets, and trade measures and barriers arising from the diverse national approaches countries are setting out. Intellectual property rights may come under attack by countries that wish to frame IPR as a barrier to the spread of green technologies. Certain technologies may be disqualified or stigmatized, limiting technical options that will be needed to further energy security and advance climate friendly development and economic growth.

Rather than using the agreement to choke off markets, technologies and investments, the global business community sees an opportunity to design international climate cooperation that works with markets to deploy investment and innovation, and to encourage companies in all sectors to integrate climate mitigation into their activities and supply value chains.

Top Areas for Action

green_lightbulbGlobal business is seeking an international climate agreement that recognizes the importance of all markets and avoids barriers on investments that are necessary for a climate-friendly transformation. Open markets provide the best means to spread investment and technology profitably and effectively. Any policy that hampers markets will slow the pace of climate action and make it needlessly expensive for society to achieve its environmental goals.

In order for the private sector to unleash the innovation needed for global action on climate change, the UN climate agreement must provide:

Commitments and Transparency

The post-2020 climate agreement to be signed in Paris must provide a clear framework for international cooperative action, committing all large economies to the measurement, monitoring and reporting of pledged activities to control and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as those announced by China and the U.S. recently.

Financing and Investment 

The UN’s Green Climate Fund, designed to finance the international community’s efforts to combat climate change, is on track to reach its initial $10 billion capitalization target. But going from $10 billion to the $100 billion or more needed to advance climate change objectives depends on the mobilization of private investment and innovation.

Business Engagement

With so much riding on economy-wide transformational change that will rely on the private sector, the Paris agreement must move to anchor the role of business in the UN climate negotiations.  Given the wide impact that a UN agreement will have on markets, regulations and national competitiveness, an agreed structure is needed to enable representative and responsible business expertise and support to the process.

Business Priorities on ClimateCOP21Paris2015

Enabling Frameworks for Trade and Investment

  • All markets are important and necessary for a climate-friendly transformation. The UN climate negotiations should not give rise to barriers to trade and investment.
  • Do not overlook the role financial institutions have to play in the UN’s efforts to mobilize funds for climate action.
  • Carbon pricing is an important, but not the only, market-based climate policy tool. Different countries and regions have specific economic and energy circumstances and goals, so any such pricing at the international level would need to reflect those realities.
  • Trade will encourage climate-friendly investments and the broad dissemination of cleaner technologies and energy sources, and Paris outcomes should work in synergy with multilateral trade.

Intellectual Property Rights

  • Intellectual property rights must be preserved to protect investments in green technology. IPR should not be mentioned in any way in the UN climate agreement.
  • Technology and knowhow are deployed through trade and commercial transactions, so the right regulatory frameworks matter.
  • Society needs to consider all solutions to address climate change, therefore all technologies should be taken into account, and none should be disqualified.

Business Input in National Pledges

  • Business must be at the heart of the discussions on country pledges because it has knowledge and experience to offer on practical, cost-effective initiatives for greenhouse gas reductions.
  • Involving business in the development of country pledges will make it easier for society to support and enact the UN’s climate agenda.
  • Business engagement will help provide insight on the worldwide economic and technological implications of climate action.
  • The private sector has experience in measuring, reporting and verification which will be essential to assess countries’ comparative efforts on climate change policy.

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Preparing for WSIS+10: ICTs Needed for Sustainable Development

Published on July 13, 2015

WSIS+10As United Nations Member States prepare for the General Assembly’s 10-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society, USCIB participated in a stakeholder consultation in New York on July 2 during which members emphasized that information and communication technologies (ICTs) facilitate the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. USCIB members also pointed out that private sector investment is critical for the continued roll-out of Internet access, so it is imperative for governments to create an environment that encourages investment in broadband and ICTs.

USCIB members had important speaking roles in the July 2 program, which featured three panels aimed at exploring (1) progress made in implementation of the WSIS outcomes, (2) ICT technology gaps and areas for continued focus in bridging the digital divide; and (3) harnessing ICTs for development going forward. Members included Joseph Alhadeff, ICC digital economy commission chair and USCIB ICT policy committee vice chair (Oracle); Carolyn Nguyen (Microsoft); Cheryl Miller (Verizon); and Chip Sharp (Cisco).

Each panel included speakers from business, civil society, and the technical community, as well as respondents from governments and stakeholder groups. The speaker’s remarks and subsequent rich commentary provided by respondents and the interactive Q&A will serve as important inputs to the UN Secretariat’s development of a “non-paper” – to be released at the end of August 2015 – which will serve as the substantive foundation for the final outcome document to be endorsed by the UN General Assembly at the High-Level Meeting in December.

USCIB, EU Environment Commissioner Discuss Post-2015 Development Agenda

Published on July 13, 2015
L-R: Commissioner Karmenu Vella (European Union), Norine Kennedy (USCIB), Ariel Meyerstein (USCIB)
L-R: Commissioner Karmenu Vella (European Union), Norine Kennedy (USCIB), Ariel Meyerstein (USCIB)

USCIB met with European Union Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella on July 7 in New York for a productive discussion about the private sector’s role in the United Nations Post-2015 Development Agenda. Commissioner Vella addressed the need for business and government to work together on creating jobs, growth and investment for sustainable development, as well as the importance of integrating economic growth and environmental protection.

USCIB staff including Norine Kennedy, vice president for strategic international engagement, energy and the environment; and Ariel Meyerstein, vice president for labor affairs, corporate responsibility and corporate governance, as well as USCIB member Doug Nelson (Croplife) met with Commissioner Vella at the offices of the EU Delegation to the United States ahead of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Ethiopia this week.

Noting that the UN Post-2015 Development Agenda provides an opportunity to affect global change for the better, Commissioner Vella explained that he viewed the private sector as the solution to governments’ wishes for jobs, growth and investment. He expressed support for private sector involvement in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and he said that governments and businesses of all sizes must work together to protect the environment and forge a path toward sustainable development.

USCIB staff agreed with Commissioner Vella’s comments, and noted that the private sector should have more of a voice in the UN process.

“Private sector engagement should be proportional to what we’re being asked to contribute,” said Meyerstein.

Meeting attendees also discussed the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), with Nelson explaining that the EU’s adoption of the Aarhus Convention – which grants public rights regarding access to information on environmental matters – would force companies to give away confidential business information, which would hurt American investment in the EU. Commissioner Vella said he supported TTIP as it would facilitate business between both sides of the Atlantic, including a common set of inspection criteria.

Additionally, Kennedy participated in a panel with Commissioner Vella later that afternoon on “Involving civil society in the implementation of the post-2015 agenda.” The event was organized by the European Economic and Social Committee, the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations and the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs.

USCIB thanks Commissioner Vella for his welcoming attitude towards the private sector and looks forward to future discussions about public-private collaboration on sustainable development.

USCIB has also created an online platform that showcases the private sector’s continuing contributions to sustainable development, and demonstrates the need for a role for business in the UN’s Post-2015 Development Agenda. Visit businessforpost-2015.org to learn more.

 

USCIB Adds Its Voice to Concerns with BEPS

Published on July 10, 2015

taxes-portUSCIB joined the Software Finance & Tax Executives Council and the National Foreign Trade Council in signing a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew citing concerns with the OECD’s Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project. The letter notes that the threat of double taxation will have a negative impact on global trade and investment.

The BEPS project is an effort by the OECD to rewrite global rules that tax profits where economic activity is generated, without imposing undue compliance costs on taxpayers.

“Throughout the BEPS process, U.S. business has been pressing for clarity,” the letter states. “The lack of clarity and threat of double taxation will create uncertainty which will have a negative impact on global trade and investment.”

Read the letter.

L-R: Grace Perez-Navarro (OECD), Carol Doran Klein (USCIB), David Camp (PwC), Pascal Saint-Amans (OECD)
L-R: Grace Perez-Navarro (OECD), Carol Doran Klein (USCIB), David Camp (PwC), Pascal Saint-Amans (OECD)

Last month, USCIB hosted its tenth annual OECD International Tax Conference in Washington, D.C., which took stock of BEPS and its impact on international trade and investment.

 

 

Private Sector’s Critical Role Recognized at UN Development Finance Conference

Published on July 9, 2015

FfDThis is a landmark year that will define the global development agenda for the next 15 years. The financing needed to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 will far surpass current official development flows, so the international community will have to leverage complementary forms of financing, including from the private sector.

At the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD3), in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from July 13 to 16, UN member states will establish a new financing framework to support sustainable development for the next 15 years, following upon previous high-level gatherings in Monterrey (2002) and Doha (2008). The outcomes from FfD3 hold special importance this year, as they will set the means of implementation for the SDGs.

Negotiators in Addis Ababa will tackle a cross-cutting global policy agenda – one that touches on multiple areas of interest to USCIB members and the global business community. These include global tax harmonization, trade and investment policies, climate and energy, intellectual property, food and agriculture, and corporate responsibility issues such as transparency and anti-corruption.

USCIB has played a central role in marshaling business input into the FfD process, having worked actively with members and our global network to ensure that the private sector’s voice is heard in Addis. USCIB and its members has engaged on several occasions with the U.S. negotiating team, and USCIB Vice President Ariel Meyerstein has met with the co-facilitators of the FfD3 process as part of a delegation of the Business Steering Committee for Financing for Development, chaired by the International Chamber of Commerce Permanent Representative to the UN, Louise Kantrow.

In addition, USCIB was instrumental in organizing the conference’s Business Forum to be held on July 14, concurrently with the FfD3 Conference. The Business Forum will provide an opportunity for business participants to interact with senior government officials, business leaders and other experts, and let companies and other stakeholders showcase their initiatives related to development finance.

“The forum is a unique platform to demonstrate the value the private sector offers to sustainable development,” Meyerstein said. “A key focus will be on the business enabling environment required to attract investment to least developed countries, the role of public-private partnerships and the need for new innovative approaches to financing, such as blended finance, which uses public funds, including official development assistance (ODA), to catalyze increased private flows, particularly to least developed countries.”

USCIB lined up an impressive array of member speakers for the business forum, including Jay Collins, vice chairman of corporate investment banking at Citi; Peter Sullivan, head of the Africa public sector group at Citi; Walt M. MacNee, executive vice chairman of MasterCard; Elaine Weidman, vice president for sustainability and corporate responsibility at Ericsson; and Jay Ireland, CEO of GE Africa. Speakers will share their insights about investing in emerging markets and developing countries.

The Addis Ababa Accord, which will be adopted by UN member states at FfD3, is positive for business, as the private sector is called upon as a partner in global efforts to finance sustainable development. The policies business supports in the outcome document include an emphasis on governance and domestic resource mobilization, support for blended finance and a move away from an overly-narrow focus on official development assistance and towards an openness to modernize the measurement of ODA, including consideration of the OECD’s proposed “total official support for development” metric. Concerns remain on a proposed technology transfer mechanism and its impact on intellectual property rights protection, but overall the outcome document is positive for the international business community.

Partnerships in Post-2015: Converging Perspectives for Action

Ahead of the Addis Ababa conference, USCIB member Citigroup hosted an event on public-private partnerships on June 17 in New York. This breakfast brought together business representatives and UN delegates from over ten countries for a discussion about how private finance can be used to ensure sustainable development through investment, job creation and inclusive growth.

Speakers at the breakfast included Louise Kantrow, the International Chamber of Commerce’s permanent representative to the UN and chair of the UN FfD Business Sector Steering Committee, Robert Annibale, global director of inclusive finance and community development at Citi, Amina Mohammed, special advisor to the UN secretary general on post-2015 development and Arthur Karlin, chief strategist of the International Finance Corporation.

Participants discussed the role of the private sector in scaling up financial and technical resources for sustainable development, as well as what non-state actors can do to work more effectively together. Conversations focused on the benefits of public-private partnerships and blended finance, as well as the practical steps countries can take to scale up their access to private capital.

The well-attended event emphasized business engagement for and after FfD3. Many speakers referenced the need for rule of law, sound investment climate and investment in infrastructure, all of which are touchstones of USCIB’s advocacy on the post-2015 development agenda.

“Most interesting was the emerging recognition that there needs to be an interface for business with the UN, that was in line with transparency, accountability, conflict of interest and governance,” said Norine Kennedy, USCIB’s vice president strategic international engagement, energy and the environment, who attended the event.

USCIB has also created an online platform that showcases the private sector’s continuing contributions to sustainable development, and demonstrates the need for a role for business in the UN’s Post-2015 Development Agenda. Visit businessforpost-2015.org to learn more.