USCIB Nominates First-Ever Business Representative for UNEP High Level Scientific Advisory Panel

Published on February 20, 2015

$RE1GIZG — Dr. Neil C. Hawkins (Dow Chemical)

Following USCIB’s nomination, Dr. Neil C. Hawkins, corporate vice president for sustainability at The Dow Chemical Company, has been named to serve as the first business and industry representative to the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) newly created Global Environment Outlook (GEO) High Level Advisory Group.

The Global Environment Outlook (GEO) is an international consultative scientific and expert process that conducts integrated environmental assessments and reports on the state, trends and outlooks of the environment. GEO reports present an annual “all of planet” integrated assessment of ecosystems by scientists and environmental experts; its purpose is to inform policymakers and help set priorities for international cooperation on environmental challenges.

The upcoming GEO-6, to be launched in mid-2017, will build upon regional assessment processes and create a comprehensive picture of the environmental factors contributing to human well-being, accompanied by an analysis of policies leading to greater attainment of global environmental objectives and goals, including the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)s. The assessment will lay the foundation for continued socio-environmental assessments across relevant scales, with a thematic as well as an integrated focus, enabling and informing societal transitions and the tracking of SDG targets and goals as well as previously agreed internationally environmental goals. The enhanced policy analysis in GEO-6 will be aimed at assisting member states to position themselves on the most effective pathways for transitions towards a sustainable future. The GEO will bring together representatives from the U.S. and other national governments with experts representing a broad range of stakeholder constituencies.

Dr. Hawkins is the only business representative with a seat on this policy-driving panel.

“We’re thrilled to support Neil in this role on behalf of business writ large,” said Norine Kennedy, USCIB’s vice president for strategic international engagement, energy and environment. “His involvement in the GEO assessment process will contribute to a more multi-dimensional assessment of planetary eco-systems and human impacts from a business perspective, and shed light on how the private sector can help deploy innovative solutions.”

In his global role as corporate vice president of sustainability at Dow, Hawkins drives strategy and implementation for Dow’s sustainability programs, including the enterprise-wide 2015 Sustainability Goals. He is a recognized practitioner and thought leader on sustainability in the international business community.

Hawkins’s nomination to UNEP’s GEO6 High Level Advisory Group is the most recent development in USCIB’s engagement with UNEP and its UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi, as well as USCIB’s inputs to previous GEO reports.

For more information on UNEP GEO, please see

http://www.unep.org/geo/

Investment, Yes! But Let’s Be Consistent

Published on February 19, 2015

By Shaun Donnelly

Foreign investment in the U.S. can create jobs, increase exports, strengthen U.S. competitiveness, give American consumers increased choices, and bolster tax revenues at the local, state, and federal level. But let’s not ignore the other side of the FDI coin, outward FDI by U.S.-based companies, writes Shaun Donnelly in Investment Policy Central.

Read the full post: http://www.investmentpolicycentral.com/content/investment-yes-let%E2%80%99s-be-consistent

Investment Protection In TTIP: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Published on February 19, 2015

By Eva Hampl

The EU Commission finally released its report on the online public consultation on investment protection and investor-state dispute settlement in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, but it is disappointing that negotiations on an investment chapter in TTIP have yet to resume, writes Eva Hampl in Investment Policy Central.

Read the full post: http://www.investmentpolicycentral.com/content/investment-protection-ttip-one-step-forward-two-steps-back

US Business Groups Add To Calls For DTA Approvals

Published on February 14, 2015

Tax News – February 24, 2015

USCIB joined several other business organizations in urging Congressional action on pending bilateral double taxation agreements (DTAs) and protocols.

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Shaping the Future of the Internet

Published on February 13, 2015

Conference to Spotlight Growth and Inclusion in the Digital Economy

Washington, D.C., February 11, 2015 – The Internet forms a crucial pillar of the world’s economic infrastructure, and advancements in information and communications technology (ICT) have extraordinary potential to raise living standards across the world. Given recent developments in online privacy, cyber-security and freedom on a global scale, what are the policies that can best harness the transformational power of the Internet to create economic opportunity, address social challenges and include everyone in the digital economy?

These questions will be addressed at an upcoming conference organized by the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), “Promoting Inclusive Growth in the Digital Economy: The OECD Evidence and Practice Base,” on today’s most pressing Internet policy questions for an audience of global business leaders and government officials. This second annual conference, which takes place March 10 at the Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center in Washington, D.C., is being presented by the United States Council Foundation, USCIB’s educational arm, along with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and BIAC, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD.

“It’s important for both business and government to recognize the unique and important role that the OECD has played in conducting evidence-based research and developing related policy recommendations aimed at enabling all sectors to access the economic and social benefits provided by ICTs and Internet-enabled innovation,” said Joseph Alhadeff, vice president of global public policy and chief privacy strategist, Oracle Corporation. Alhadeff chairs BIAC’s Committee on Digital Economy Policy. In this capacity has been a leading advocate for global ICT interests in OECD discussions.

The full-day conference will feature a strong lineup of policymakers and thought leaders from around the world, including:

Andrew Wyckoff, director of the OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry (STI)
Ambassador Daniel Sepulveda, deputy assistant secretary and U.S. coordinator for international communications and information policy, U.S. Department of State
Houlin Zhao, secretary general, International Telecommunications Union (ITU)
Christopher Painter, S. Department of State coordinator for cyber issues
Kathryn Brown, president and CEO, Internet Society (ISOC)

Discussions will focus on the OECD’s broad stakeholder participation in Internet policy-making, enabling the benefits of digital innovation across all sectors, promoting trade, inclusion and trust in the digital ecosystem, and addressing online security challenges. The work of the OECD in developing better policies in an open and interconnected digital world is recognized and respected by policymakers and business leaders for the fact-based economic analysis informing its policy recommendations.

In view of the Internet’s importance to all sectors of the economy, the March 10 program will be open to business participants from the ICT community, as well as representatives of the Internet technical community and civil society. Read the full conference agenda here.

About USCIB:

USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world. With a unique global network encompassing leading international business organizations, including BIAC, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More at www.uscib.org.

OECD “Going for Growth” Report Reveals Ambitious Reforms Good for All

Published on February 13, 2015

The OECD recently published the latest edition of its flagship report “Going for Growth,” which assesses countries’ progress in implementing structural policies since 2013, and also identifies new priorities to revive growth. The OECD’s Going for Growth analysis forms the basis of the OECD’s wider contribution to the G20 Framework for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth and to G20 National Growth Strategies.

Highlights from this year’s report include:

Structural reforms implemented since the early 2000s have contributed to raising potential GDP per capita by around 5% on average across countries. Most gains come from higher productivity.

Further reform based on OECD best practice could raise long-term level of GDP per capita by up to 10% on average across OECD countries.

The pace of structural reforms has slowed in most OECD countries in the past two years, but has been accelerating in major emerging markets.

Many of the OECD’s pro-growth structural policies have little or no impact on income inequality among households. In fact, a number of reforms reduce wage dispersion and/or household income inequality (e.g. reforms for better access to education, active labour market policies and growth-friendly tax and transfer systems). Also, reducing regulatory barriers to entry and competition in sectors with large potential markets is likely to reduce income inequality.

The Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD Economic Policy Survey 2014, released last May, was a major business contribution to the formulation of the OECD’s Going for Growth report.

USCIB Adds Business Voice in Fight Against NCDs

Published on February 11, 2015

USCIB submitted comments to the World Health Organization (WHO) on February 6 stressing the role business plays in combating malnutrition and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs). NCDs are responsible for over 60 percent of the world’s premature deaths, according to the WHO.

Last year the WHO established the Global Coordination Mechanism on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases, an intergovernmental body designed to coordinate activities and multi-stakeholder engagement across sectors as the WHO works toward implementing an Action Plan on NCDs.

“We believe that the private sector has a legitimate role to play in working with the WHO, its Members States and civil society to curb NCDs,” wrote Helen Medina, USCIB’s senior director for product policy and innovation in a submission co-signed by the International Organization of Employers, “and it wants to be part of the solution.”

The submission noted that all companies have an interest in ensuring they have a healthy and resilient workforce, and for that reason the private sector must be included in policy discussions about how to best address NCDs. USCIB reiterated its messages that self-regulation can play a constructive role, public-private partnerships are an effective response to global health challenges and taxes on various foods and beverages have negative, unintended consequences, especially for societies’ poorest consumers.

The submission also included examples from USCIB member companies of business initiatives aimed at improving global health, such as The Coca-Cola Company’s support of the “Exercise is Medicine” program, which encourages doctors to include exercise when designing treatment plans for patients. Also, Nestlé’s Healthy Kids Global Program is a partnership initiative aimed at raising nutrition knowledge and promoting physical activity among school-age children. The program reached almost seven million children in 68 countries at the end of 2013. And Pfizer has supported a pilot project in China called “Healthy Heart – New Life,” focused on developing work-related healthcare services to address chronic disease.

Disney’s Rubbo to Chair USCIB’s Corporate Responsibility Committee

Published on February 10, 2015

USICB is pleased to announce the appointment of Laura Chapman Rubbo of The Walt Disney Company as the new chair of its Corporate Responsibility Committee. Rubbo has served as co-vice chair of the committee since 2013.

Rubbo, a director in Disney’s international labor standards department, brings 20 years of experience in corporate social responsibility, international labor standards, and business and human rights.

“USCIB has played a critical role in helping Disney understand and respond to evolving expectations of global business in the corporate responsibility and human rights arena,” Rubbo said. “We are honored to take a more active role in contributing to the corporate responsibility conversation with USCIB, its members, international institutions and the broader stakeholder community.”

Ariel Meyerstein, USCIB’s vice president for labor affairs, corporate responsibility and corporate governance, welcomed Rubbo’s leadership. “We are thrilled to have Laura take the helm of the Corporate Responsibility Committee,” he said. “Her years of experience in the CSR space and tremendous energy will help strengthen our committee’s work promoting the business perspective on corporate responsibility.”

Rubbo was part of the United States delegation to the International Labor Organization’s 2014 International Labor Conference, and she is a frequent speaker at CSR-related events.

The next meeting of USCIB’s Corporate Responsibility Committee takes place on April 15 in Washington, D.C. Please contact Rachel Spence (rspence@uscib.org) for more information or to register.

Global Business Stands Up for Strong Investor-State Dispute Settlement Rules

Published on February 9, 2015

The Financial Times has published a letter from the head of the International Chamber of Commerce forcefully rebutting some of the more widespread canards, circulating in Europe and elsewhere, concerning investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS). (See below for the full text of the letter.)

ISDS provisions provide for the referral of disputes between foreign investors and host governments to neutral tribunals, rather than local courts, in cases of expropriation or other government actions that impact a company’s investment. Strong ISDS rules have been developed over the years via numerous European, U.S. and other trade and investment agreements as a way to promote cross-border investment, by providing a measure of certainty in investment decisions that might otherwise be lacking.

ISDS has emerged as a major lightning rod for opponents of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which seeks to remove many remaining barriers to cross-border commerce between the United States and the European Union.

In his letter, ICC Secretary General John Danilovich said that “too much of the recent European debate on investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) has been driven by hearsay, superstition and myth,” and that anti-ISDS fervor has been largely motivated by misplaced anti-Americanism. Sixty percent of recent ISDS cases worldwide, he noted, were launched by European investors.

“A gold-standard agreement in TTIP,” Danilovich wrote, “could play a central role in fostering improved conditions for a much-needed expansion of global investment flows.”

Text of the ICC letter to the Financial Times on investor-state dispute settlement:

Financial Times

February 9, 2015

Letters

Ditching investor-state dispute settlement may come at quite a cost

Sir, John Kay is no doubt correct to conclude that excluding investment protection standards from the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership would make it “much easier” to sell the proposed deal to a sceptical European public (“Free trade should not put democracy in the dock”, February 4). But would this be the right thing to do?

While greater public engagement in trade policy making is welcome, too much of the recent European debate on investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) has been driven by hearsay, superstition and myth. Professor Kay shows that even the most reasoned commentators can fall into this trap, casually depicting big — “predominantly American” — businesses as rapacious users of ISDS.

The facts tell a different story: ISDS cases remain relatively rare and almost 60 per cent of claims filed over the past five years have been made by European investors. The importance of fact-based policy making is emphasised by the global dimension to the TTIP talks. Estimates may vary about the economic value of a transatlantic investment pact, but it would be short-sighted to ignore the negative precedent that a weak or non-deal would set for future negotiations.

By contrast, a gold-standard agreement in TTIP could play a central role in fostering improved conditions for a much-needed expansion of global investment flows. Prof Kay would be well advised not to lose sight of this broader perspective: ditching ISDS from TTIP might be the easy thing to do, but it may come at quite a cost in the long run.

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

View this letter on the Financial Times website (paid login may be required)

USCIB Adds Its Voice to White House Forum on Human Trafficking

Published on February 3, 2015

Secretary of State John Kerry speaks at the White House Forum on Combating Human Trafficking in Supply Chains at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., on January 29, 2015. (State Department photo)

Marking the end of National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, USCIB staff and members took part in a January 29 White House forum on combating human trafficking in supply chains, to address the pernicious incidences of labor trafficking around the world. The Obama administration committed to an agenda to combat human trafficking in 2012, and USCIB supports the administration’s stance and agrees that forceful labor recruitment has no place in business.

Ariel Meyerstein, USCIB’s vice president for labor affairs, corporate responsibility and corporate governance, attended the forum along with other representatives from the private sector, nongovernmental organizations and the U.S. government to discuss how all stakeholders can work together to eliminate trafficking in federal contracts and in private-sector supply chains.

Meyerstein noted that Secretary of State John Kerry “spoke eloquently on the moral imperative on all of us to work towards ensuring that no human being could ever own another person’s freedom.”

USCIB member representatives – including Bob Mitchell, global manager for supply chain responsibility at Hewlett-Packard and Wesley Wilson, senior director of responsible sourcing at Wal-Mart – spoke on a panel addressing “Private Sector Strategies to Combat Human Trafficking in Supply Chains.” The panelists shared their companies’ best practices for combating human trafficking, which included directly employing and paying all workers, working with foreign governments to prevent labor trafficking and implementing fair and transparent labor standards.

When asked what more could be done by the U.S. government to reinforce and amplify the work they are doing, both Mitchell and Wilson encouraged the U.S. government to engage bilaterally with other countries to impress upon them how seriously the U.S. government and U.S. businesses take the issue and to develop the prevention and enforcement capacities in other jurisdictions to complement private sector efforts.

Secretary Kerry also delivered remarks at the forum and presented the 2015 Presidential Award for Extraordinary Efforts to Combat Human Trafficking to the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ Fair Food Program.

Last week the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council, the body responsible for overseeing U.S. government procurement, published updates about new safeguards designed to strengthen protections against trafficking in federal contracts. These new rules, modeled on successful private sector practices, prohibit federal contractors from charging employees recruitment fees or using misleading or fraudulent recruitment practices, require contractors and subcontractors performing work valued at over $500,000 outside the United States to develop and maintain a compliance plan, and to certify that, to the best of their knowledge, neither they nor any of their subcontractors has engaged in trafficking-related activities.

USCIB has been active in the corporate responsibility space, having recently co-hosted a dialogue on responsible business conduct as part of President Obama’s plan to implement the UN’s Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and will continue to work with the federal government and other stakeholders to eliminate human trafficking in supply chains.