Policy Areas Archives

Mandarin Translation of ICC Marketing Code Launched

Published on May 9, 2014

4727_image001The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) unveiled the first official Mandarin translation of the Consolidated ICC Code of Advertising and Marketing Communications Practice, the updated version of a document first published in 1937. The ICC Code serves as an ethical rule-setting guide for self-regulatory bodies across all sectors, and is designed to build consumer trust in advertising practice while reducing the need for government regulation.

The Mandarin version of the ICC code was shared with the 1,300 delegates attending the 43rd World Advertising Congress in Beijing, presented by the International Advertising Association (IAA) and China Advertising Association, and hosted by China’s State Administration of Industry and Commerce and the Municipal Government of the City of Beijing.

The ICC code is the gold standard for self-regulation around the world. It offers a globally consistent baseline for economies developing standards while also providing flexibility for local laws and culture to be reflected in a local code.

This ninth revision of the ICC code, published in 2011, expands its global principles to address new technology and practice changes. Now published in 11 languages, the code is used as a foundation and resource for most national and sector self-regulatory systems. Self-regulatory bodies implement the principles to monitor advertising and provide consumers with easy access to make complaints and redress problems.

“The ICC Code reflects the commitment of companies from all sectors of industry and all regions of the world to responsible marketing and advertising,” said Carla Michelotti, vice chair of USCIB’s Marketing and Advertising Committee. “IAA was pleased to facilitate this launch with ICC and encourage cooperation across the sector locally and internationally to promote consistent responsible practice across markets.”

Michelotti, who is the executive vice president, chief legal, government and corporate affairs officer at Leo Burnett Worldwide and serves as an IAA board member, took the initiative to bring partner organizations together on this launch to promote responsible advertising practice.

After the congress on May 11, IAA and ICC will co-host a working level meeting on responsible marketing. Forty representatives from Chinese and international stakeholders will participate including, China State Council, State Administration of Industry and Commerce, Chinese National Advertisers Association, China Central Television Advertising Center, Mars, Proctor and Gamble, as well as Unilever and Sony.

“This is a timely opportunity to share and discuss the universal principles with practitioners in China just as the Chinese government is revising the 1994 Advertising Law at present and within it they are encouraging industry to build self-regulation onto that legislative platform,” said Elizabeth Thomas-Raynaud, ICC’s senior policy executive who staffs the ICC Marketing and Advertising Commission that produces the codes.

Staff contact: Jonathan Huneke

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Robinson Talks Trade and Investment at OECD Forum

Published on May 7, 2014
USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson with Sharon Burrows, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation.
USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson with Sharon Burrows, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation.

Trade and investment have become more intertwined, reinforcing and interdependent, USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson told the annual OECD Forum in Paris on Tuesday, stressing the importance of global value chains and the need for smarter policies to foster FDI – and the growth and jobs it creates.

Robinson took part in a panel discussion moderated by Shawn Donnan of the Financial Times on the new realities of cross-border trade, including the development of highly integrated global value chains where various stages of R&D, production and distribution are scattered across many different countries. The session encouraged debate among panelists and the audience about how to adapt policies to meet the new, interconnected trade and production landscape.

In his remarks, Robinson identified three important trends – the growth of global value chains, the interdependence of trade and investment, and the dangers of protectionist policies such as forced localization and data flow restrictions – as he had highlighted at the BIAC/TUAC pre-Ministerial consultations with the OECD and the Japanese last month in Tokyo. He called for policies that acknowledge that the world of trade has shifted towards global value chains, and noted that the role of foreign direct investment is crucial and should be central to the discussion along with trade.

Other speakers at the Future of Trade panel included Robert Carvalho de Azevêdo, director general of the WTO; James Bacchus of Greenberg Traurig, chair of the Commission on Trade and Investment Policy at the International Chamber of Commerce; Sharan Burrow, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation; Tim Groser, New Zealand’s minister of trade; and Tadayuki Nagashima, executive vice president of the Japan External Trade Organization.

Trade and investment are two sides of the same coin, Robinson explained, neither will occur alone. Cross-border trade requires investment as well as investment protection like the investor state dispute settlement to help balance legitimate government needs and dispute resolution.

Robinson also warned that trade barriers are going up behind the border, handicapping the development of integrated global value chains. He encouraged the OECD to continue research on the impact of policies that localize production and content and limit data flows on global value chains.

The business community ideally favors a global approach to trade and investment liberalization, Robinson said. But he noted its encouragement of regional and functional initiatives such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TTP), the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), and the Trade in Services Agreement and leveraging where possible those plurilateral or bilateral coalitions of the willing into multilateral ones. Robinson also thanked the OECD for its high-quality work on trade analysis, such as Trade in Value Added.

The OECD Forum takes place each year around the OECD’s ministerial council meeting, which this year focused on “Resilient Economies and Inclusive Societies.” A high-level United States delegation participated in the OECD ministerial, advancing efforts to level the playing field for American businesses and promoting a more open and outward-oriented OECD. The delegation included U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman, Council of Economic Advisors Chairman Jason Furman and the new U.S. ambassador to the OECD, Daniel Yohannes.

Staff contact: Rob Mulligan

More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee

Medina Briefs Consumer Products Companies on Global Product Policy

Published on May 7, 2014

Helen Medina, USCIB’s senior director for product policy and innovation, addressed the Consumer Specialty Products Association’s International Committee’s mid-year meeting, May 6 in Chicago, providing CSPA members with an update on international product policy issues. CSPA, which represents hundreds of companies that manufacture, formulate, distribute and sell a wide range of consumer products, is a member of USCIB.

Medina presented an overview of USCIB’s product policy priorities, which include a science-based approach to chemicals life-cycles management and bringing downstream users’ perspectives to policy-making decisions. She also discussed three important international forums for USCIB Product Policy Working Group:

  • work in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) process
  • the UN’s Strategic Approach to International Chemicals’ Management (SAICM) process, and
  • the work of the UN Environment Program.

In addition, USCIB has been working to provide input on Korea’s new chemical regulation, referred by many observers as “Korea REACH” due to the legislation’s similarities to the European Union’s REACH (registration, evaluation and authorization of chemicals) rules.

Medina’s main takeaway points were that these inter-governmental discussions of product policy matter for companies of all sizes, that business can and must be involved in the process, and that different industries must work together to present a common private-sector viewpoint and positions.

Staff contact: Helen Medina

More on USCIB’s Product Policy Working Group

Business Groups Line Up to Support Global Investment In American Jobs Act

Published on May 6, 2014
A Nissan Rogue rolls off the assembly line at Nissan’s Smyrna, Tenn. plant in October 2013, the 10 millionth vehicle produced at the facility.
A Nissan Rogue rolls off the assembly line at Nissan’s Smyrna, Tenn. plant in October 2013, the 10 millionth vehicle produced at the facility.

USCIB joined the Organization for International Investment and a number of other trade associations last week in sending a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell promoting the Global Investment in American Jobs Act of 2013 (S. 1023/H.R. 2052).

H.R. 2052 passed the House of Representatives in September 2013, and was approved by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on April 9 of this year. Last week’s coalition letter urges Senators Reid and McConnell to take swift action on the bill. It follows a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives in July 2013, and one to the U.S. Senate in September 2013, constituting the third such effort in which USCIB has been involved.

“Foreign direct investment (FDI) is vital for American jobs and economic growth,” said Shaun Donnelly, USCIB’s vice president for investment and financial services. “In order to remain globally competitive and attractive to foreign investors, the United States should undertake the measures provided for in this bill.”

According to Donnelly, inward FDI brings not only needed capital but also technology, innovation and access to foreign markets. He said USCIB was pleased to see progress on the Global Investment in American Jobs Act of 2013, and would continue to push for its passage.

Staff contacts: Shaun Donnelly and Eva Hampl

More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee

NetMundial Conference in Brazil Debates Future of Internet Governance

Published on April 28, 2014

4717_image001At last week’s NETMundial Global Multistakeholder Meeting on the Future of Internet Governance in Sao Paolo, Brazil, a diverse array of Internet stakeholders reached agreement on a non-binding document, the “Multistakeholder Statement of Sao Paulo.” This followed two days of intense work to develop a set of Internet governance principles, as well as a “roadmap” for the future evolution of the Internet governance ecosystem.

Barbara Wanner, USCIB’s vice president for information, communications and technology policy, attended the event along with scores of USCIB members and hundreds of business representatives from around the world. All told, over a thousand Internet stakeholders from business, government, civil society and the technical community – from nearly a hundred countries – took part in NetMundial, many from remote hubs set up to facilitate participation.

NETMundial Chair Vergilio Almeida, Brazil’s secretary of IT policy, hailed the two-day event as a “threshold of a new beginning,” not an end destination, and a “milestone in the history of Internet governance.” He said the multistakeholder statement might not be a “perfect document,” but nevertheless represented a significant achievement having been produced by a bottom-up process that encompassed input from literally all over the world.

Wanner said the multistakeholder statement reflected important discussions on key aspects of Internet policy of interest to USCIB members and global business. On net neutrality, for example, despite strong support from civil society and some governments to include a specific reference to net neutrality as an Internet governance principle, business and its allies advocated effectively for inclusion of net neutrality as a “point to be further discussed beyond NETMundial” requiring better understanding and further discussion.

On intellectual property, Wanner said business successfully advocated for the inclusion of language on IP as part of the statement’s Human Rights principle, which states that everyone should have the right to access, share, create and distribute information on the Internet, consistent with the rights of authors and creators as established in law. In addition, business and its allies worked to secure key language upholding IP rights in the principle calling for an “enabling environment for innovation and creativity.”

Other parts of the multistakeholder statement addressed protection of Internet intermediaries, privacy and surveillance, and the future of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Wanner said USCIB is monitoring follow-up to NetMundial closely and will coordinate the elaboration of additional business views with members, the International Chamber of Commerce and our other global business partners.

Staff contacts: Barbara Wanner

More on USCIB’s Information, Communication and Technology Committee

USCIB Warns on Korean Chemicals Regulations

Published on April 21, 2014

Global Business : South KoreaUSCIB recently submitted comments to the Korean environment ministry and the U.S. government on draft decrees implementing new Korean chemicals legislation, known as “Korea REACH” – after similar European Union rules governing registration, evaluation and authorization of chemicals.

Reflecting the views of USCIB’s broad-based membership, which includes chemical manufacturers and downstream users, the comments voiced broad support for Korea’s goal of protecting human health and the environment. But they voiced concern that “Korea’s new chemical management system may impact or disrupt the supply of highly specialized chemicals particularly in sophisticated, high-tech industries.”

In the comments, Helen Medina, USCIB’s senior director for product policy and innovation, wrote that an overly burdensome chemical management system “could have a significant impact on the ability of USCIB members to manufacture innovative products in Korea and/or import them into the country.”

Specific recommendations, including the need for consultation with non-Korean stakeholders, are detailed in USCIB’s comments. Other industry groups that submitted views include the American Chemistry Council and the Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates.

USCIB has been actively engaged in several international chemicals negotiations, including the UN’s Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management as well as discussions in the UN Environment Program, the OECD and APEC.

Staff contact: Helen Medina

More on USCIB’s Product Policy Working Group

Geneva Conference on Facilitating Trade in the Digital Economy

Published on April 18, 2014
The ICC attracted more than 125 participants from 24 countries.
The ICC attracted more than 125 participants from 24 countries.

Business and government representatives from around the world came together in Geneva on April 8 and 9 to investigate how electronic systems can replace paper-based trade and administrative processes in key business areas such as customs, taxation and public procurement.

Leading experts from governments in emerging and industrialized markets, companies, law firms, and business and intergovernmental organizations gathered to share their vision on how stakeholders can work together to develop Internet governance, and apply practical standards and principles needed for efficient paperless trade.

“A more coordinated international approach to digital interactions would improve trade flows considerably,” stated ICC Secretary General Jean-Guy Carrier in opening the conference, a timely follow-up to a March 10 USCIB/OECD conference in Washington, D.C. focusing on growth, jobs and prosperity in the digital age.

The overriding conviction shared by conference participants was that paperless trade can help governments and companies reap substantial savings, while increasing the security of transactions and contributing to economic growth and social development.

Statistically speaking, paperless trade was said to increase productivity by more than 20 percent on average. However, this represents only part of the potential savings, the lack of coordination among regulators using different approaches to control digital trade continue to hamper solutions that could make massive savings available to all parties through improved efficiency in e-customs, e-public procurement and e-tax.

“Governments worldwide use ICT to work more effectively with business,” said Joseph Alhadeff (Oracle), chair of ICC’s Commission on the Digital Economy. “Regulations and processes, however, often vary, even within countries, meaning that the ways in which countries approach electronic trade procedures and e-government is increasing in variety and complexity.

“This comes with its own set of challenges and results in many different – and often conflicting – approaches to the ways businesses and governments interact electronically. Business and government regulators need to collaborate and coordinate more effectively in order to improve electronic trade procedures in a mutually beneficial way.”

Read more on ICC’s website.

Staff contacts: Barbara Wanner

More on USCIB’s Information, Communication and Technology Committee

At Japan Consultation Business Calls for Bold Action to Support Private Sector-Led Growth

Published on April 18, 2014

Renewed Focus on Investment Urged

USCIB and its partners in BIAC have urged the OECD to sharpen its focus on policies affecting cross-border investment. An April 17 letter from BIAC Secretary General Bernhard Welschke to OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria reflected on recent high-level BIAC-OECD discussions of FDI.

Welschke wrote that “business observes a proliferation of restrictions on foreign direct investment, often hidden and difficult to counter.” He said the OECD must continue to serve as a champion of cross-border investment – and the jobs and growth it spurs.

Other examples of the renewed focus on investment issues include the January annual BIAC Executive Board meeting with OECD ambassadors, where Charles Heeter, BIAC’s U.S. board member, played a lead role, and USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson’s participation at the Tokyo consultation (see main article).

At an April 8 consultation in Tokyo, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD (BIAC) called on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and on the government of Japan to promote policies that facilitate open and efficient markets and lead to more sustainable growth.

BIAC, representing the leading business organizations in OECD countries, pointed to the importance of trade and investment as major engines of the world economy.

“We are at a crossroad for our economies and business,” said BIAC Chair Phil O’Reilly, the chief executive of Business New Zealand.

“Much has been said about ways to distribute income and wealth in our societies, but not enough concerning the question how we better encourage entrepreneurship, investment, and employment. We are prepared to support an OECD agenda that will promote structural reforms in OECD countries to strengthen the resilience of our economies and societies.”

BIAC Vice Chair Katsutoshi Saito, chairman of Dai-Ichi Life Insurance Company, underlined the need for a “more coordinated approach to financial regulation that is conducive to economic growth, financial stability and investment.”

USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson said: “Implementation of the WTO Bali package is pivotal to strengthening international trade. The challenge for 2014 and beyond will be for governments to develop policies that reflect the needs and realities of the contemporary trade environment. The OECD has an important role to play in providing the economic analysis on global value chains that illustrate the positive impact of trade policies for our economies and societies.”

 

Staff contacts: Rob Mulligan and Shaun Donnelly

More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee

Bonn Meeting Sets the Stage for New, “Bottom-Up” Climate Regime

Published on April 3, 2014
USCIB’s Norine Kennedy speaking at last month’s UN climate change talks in Bonn
USCIB’s Norine Kennedy speaking at last month’s UN climate change talks in Bonn

While political disagreements continue to bedevil the development of a long-term, post-2020 global agreement to address climate change, meetings last month in Bonn, Germany, held under the auspices of the UN Framework Agreement on Climate Change (UNFCCC), made some progress in practical areas, notably on how a “bottom-up” approach could be the basis for the new UN climate regime.

UN negotiators have set a deadline of December 2015, when leaders will gather in Paris, to reach agreement on the new treaty. According to Norine Kennedy, USCIB’s vice president for strategic international engagement, who attended the Bonn sessions, a new climate agreement is likely to be based on nationally defined targets and other actions taken by individual countries, with reporting and review to track progress and determine overall adequacy.

Kennedy was joined in Bonn by a number of USCIB members. The meetings included a session of the UNFCCC Technology Executive Committee (TEC), which promotes the deployment in developing countries of technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help countries adapt to the effects of climate change. The TEC, comprised of government representatives from the United States, China, Norway, Mexico and other influential countries, provides policy advice and technology “roadmaps” that support technical assistance.

“USCIB has identified technology innovation and dissemination as a priority for its advocacy in the development of the new long-term UN climate agreement,” said Kennedy. “USCIB members have encouraged the UNFCCC to focus on fostering conditions to enable greater technological innovation, emphasizing the private sector’s critical role in developing and disseminating new climate-friendly technologies.”

In Bonn, TEC Chair Gabriel Blanco of Argentina indicated his intention to involve experts from non-state interests, including business, in the TEC’s ongoing work. USCIB will follow the ongoing work closely to provide business expertise.

Lingering apprehension from Copenhagen

Following the TEC meeting, UN negotiators met to deliberate the drafting of concrete treaty text, with fundamental disagreements persisting among parties over how to begin. According to Kennedy, developing countries support an approach which compiles all government proposals, while developed countries favor an edited and streamlined beginning text, prepared by the negotiations’ co-chairs and drawn from government proposals.

“While this might appear to be a minor procedural point, it presents a fundamental challenge: to reach a simplified text, with a small number of outstanding issues that can be finalized by ministers in Paris,” said Kennedy. “Many governments are still haunted by what happened in Copenhagen in 2009, when new treaty text was introduced at the last second as the result of high-level negotiations among a small group of governments.”

Other discussions in Bonn addressed: energy efficiency and renewable energy; sources and measuring of funding commitments for greenhouse gas reductions, and adaptation to climate change impacts; and response to the anticipated release (which took place this week) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s latest report.

The next UN climate negotiating meeting takes place June 4-15 in Bonn, and will include a ministerial segment in the first week. Governments also agreed to an additional negotiating session in October in Lima, prior to the next major conference of parties to the UNFCCC, which will be held in December, also in Lima. USCIB will be covering all these meetings, so stay tuned for additional reports on these critical UN negotiations and related developments on global climate change.

Staff contact: Norine Kennedy

 

More on USCIB’s Environment Committee

Norman Schenk of UPS to Chair Global Customs Body

Published on April 2, 2014
Norman Schenk (left) of UPS will chair the ICC Customs and Trade Facilitation Commission; Oliver Pelzer (right) of the German law firm Dabelstein & Passehl was named vice chair.
Norman Schenk (left) of UPS will chair the ICC Customs and Trade Facilitation Commission; Oliver Pelzer (right) of the German law firm Dabelstein & Passehl was named vice chair.

Paris and New York. April 2, 2014 – The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the Paris-based world business organization, has announced the appointment of Norman Schenk of UPS as the new chair of the ICC Commission on Customs and Trade Facilitation, according to the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), which serves as ICC’s American national committee.

Schenk is joined by Oliver Peltzer, a partner with the German law firm Dabelstein & Passehl, who has been named the commission’s vice chair.

“Norm Schenk is a terrific choice for this important role,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter M. Robinson. “ICC was instrumental in pushing for last December’s landmark WTO trade facilitation deal, and its influence on the global stage is an important point of leverage for American business as we seek to expand trade, modernize customs practices worldwide and cut red tape in cross-border commerce.”

As UPS’s vice president of global customs policy and public affairs, Schenk brings over 35 years of experience in customs and trade facilitation work to the post. He is responsible for shaping UPS’s global customs policy and border strategies to facilitate the smooth flow of shipments across international borders. He works directly with government leaders on reducing trade barriers, simplifying processes and supply chain security issues and, together with USCIB, has actively contributed to national discussions on customs reauthorization and de minimis provisions.

Schenk will take the reins as chair from Anthony Barone, who retired in February as director of global logistics policy with Pfizer. In his role as a member, vice chair and chair of the ICC commission over the past eight years, Barone greatly impacted its activities. Under his leadership, the commission produced several key products, including the recently published survey What border barriers impede business ability?, the revised ICC Customs Guidelines and new ICC Guidelines for Cross-Border Traders. He was also instrumental in maintaining ICC’s excellent relations with the World Customs Organization and in reorganizing the commission’s work around the theme of trade facilitation. ICC extended its deep appreciation to Barone for his leadership of the commission.

“Norm Schenk is a very experienced internationalist and I am certain he will bring deep insight to the commission and its stakeholders,” said Barone. “The commission has a challenging and important role to play amid the various multilateral agreements being discussed today. Governments need the practical insights the commission can provide.”

Schenk said: “The ICC Customs and Trade Facilitation Commission plays an important role in helping to develop the solutions and tools needed to implement the recent WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation, ultimately driving economic growth. Customs officials and those engaged in the supply chain will benefit from an open dialogue designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of border processes around the world.”

The ICC Commission on Customs and Trade Facilitation has over 120 members from 25 countries. Commission members comprise customs, transport and logistics specialists from ICC member companies and business representative organizations. The central objective of the commission is to overcome trade barriers, to ensure that the liberalization of global trade and investment has a positive impact at the level of the individual international trade transaction.

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 ICC, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More at www.uscib.org.

Contact:

Jonathan Huneke, USCIB

+1 212.703.5043 (office), +1 917.420.0039 (mobile), jhuneke@uscib.org

 

More on USCIB’s Customs and Trade Facilitation Committee