Policy Areas Archives

Conference to Spotlight Internet and ICTs as Drivers of Job Creation Worldwide

Published on January 27, 2014
The OECD has played a key role in Internet policy discussions since before its 2008 Seoul Ministerial. Pictured at that gathering are (L-R) then-BIAC Secretary General Tadahiro Asami, OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria, USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson and Oracle Corp. Vice President Joseph Alhadeff.
The OECD has played a key role in Internet policy discussions since before its 2008 Seoul Ministerial. Pictured at that gathering are (L-R) then-BIAC Secretary General Tadahiro Asami, OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria, USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson and Oracle Corp. Vice President Joseph Alhadeff.

New York, January 27, 2014 – The Internet, along with related information and communications technologies (ICTs), now forms a fundamental supporting infrastructure for the global economy. Recent developments have focused attention squarely on issues of online privacy, trust, security and freedom on a global scale. New policies resulting from this scrutiny could dramatically reshape the online experience for users, including business, and undermine the potential of the Internet and ICTs to serve as engines for jobs creation and growth.

This is the backdrop for an upcoming conference organized by the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), “Growth, Jobs and Prosperity in the Digital Age: OECD Shapes the Policy Environment,” which promises to address some of today’s most important Internet policy questions for an audience of global business leaders and policy makers. The 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 is important for both business and government to recognize the important and unique role that the OECD has played in the development of the Internet as a source of economic growth and societal benefit,” said Joseph Alhadeff vice president and chief privacy officer with Oracle Corp., who serves as chair of BIAC’s Committee on Information, Communications and Computer Policy and vice chair of USCIB’s ICT Policy Committee.

“From the Ottawa Ministerial in 1998, where the OECD helped facilitate e-commerce, to the Seoul Ministerial in 2008, which addressed the role of the Internet in spurring innovation and economic growth, to its current work on privacy, security, cloud and big data, the OECD has played an important role at the intersection of policy, technology, economy and innovation,” Alhadeff said. “This program will help draw attention to this essential work.”

The conference will feature top experts from the OECD’s Committee on Information, Communications and Computer Policy division along with senior U.S. and foreign government officials, plus experts from business and civil society. Key confirmed speakers include H.E. Diego Molano Vega, Colombia’s minister of information technologies and communications, and Commissioner Julie Brill of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

The program will explore cutting-edge issues affecting the ICT sector against a backdrop of rapidly changing technologies and a more complex policy environment. In particular, participants will consider how emerging technologies such as big data, cloud computing and the “Internet of things” create greater efficiencies and new business opportunities.

“Some of these new opportunities can be optimized through risk-based approaches to privacy and security developed by the OECD,” said Alhadeff. “We will also examine how the OECD’s Seoul Declaration for the Future of the Internet Economy, the OECD Internet Policy Principles, and other important work products have influenced, and are relevant to, many issues under consideration in current trade policy discussions and negotiations.”

In view of ICT’s importance to all sectors of the economy, the March 10 program will be open to business participants from ICT and ICT-user communities. It will also welcome representatives of the Internet technical community as well as civil society. More information is available at https://uscib.org/growth-jobs-prosperity-in-the-digital-age-ud-4660.

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.

Contact:
Jonathan Huneke, USCIB
+1 212.703.5043, jhuneke@uscib.org

More on USCIB’s Information, Communications and Technology Committee

Launch of Talks to Free Up Trade in Green Tech Applauded

Published on January 24, 2014

4664_image002New York, N.Y., January 24, 2014 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) applauded announcement of a new initiative by the United States and key trading partners to boost trade in environmental goods and services (EGS) through the World Trade Organization. It said the positive step would build on the recent “Bali package” of trade liberalization measures as well as commitments in the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) forum.

USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson welcomed the announcement and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman’s continuing leadership in this area. “USCIB members agree that moving towards greener economic growth will depend on the widespread deployment of innovative technologies and management systems through more open trade, whether to address climate risks, improve food, water and energy security or offer cleaner goods to consumers in developing countries,” he said.

Robinson went on to say that, “We should seize this opportunity to liberalize trade in a strategic sector. At the same time, USCIB is strongly aware of the need to remove trade barriers for many other resources and products that are integral parts of the global supply and value chains behind EGS.”

Working with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and other international business partners, USCIB has advocated ambitious outcomes in the WTO, TPP, TTIP and APEC deliberations, and continues to highlight the benefits that multilateral trade and investment render to the U.S. economy.

USCIB urges governments to pursue initiatives that would increase the benefits offered by yesterday’s announcement via ongoing dedication to trade liberalization across the board and reaching a comprehensive multilateral agreement on climate change that involves all major emitters next year in Paris.

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, jhuneke@uscib.org

More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee

More on USCIB’s Environment Committee

Somali Clampdown Causes Drop in Global Piracy

Published on January 15, 2014

IMB’s annual global piracy report shows more than 300 people were taken hostage at sea last year and 21 were injured, nearly all with guns or knives. A total of 12 vessels were hijacked, 202 were boarded, 22 were fired upon and a further 28 reported attempted attacks. Nigerian pirates were particularly violent, killing one crew member, and kidnapping 36 people to hold onshore for ransom.

“The single biggest reason for the drop in worldwide piracy is the decrease in Somali piracy off the coast of East Africa,” said Captain Pottengal Mukundan, director of IMB, whose Piracy Reporting Center has monitored world piracy since 1991. IMB says Somali pirates have been deterred by a combination of factors, including the key role of international navies, the hardening of vessels and other recommendations in the shipping industry’s Best Management Practices, the use of private armed security teams and the stabilizing influence of Somalia’s central government.

“It is imperative to continue combined international efforts to tackle Somali piracy. Any complacency at this stage could re-kindle pirate activity,” warned Captain Mukundan.

Read more on ICC’s website.

Staff contact: Jonathan Huneke

Save the date Growth Jobs Prosperity in the Digital Age OECD Shapes the Policy Environment

Published on January 15, 2014

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Save the Date!

Growth, Jobs, & Prosperity in the Digital Age:
OECD Shapes the Policy Environment
March 10, 2014
12:00 noon – 5:00 p.m.
Reception: 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center
901 K Street, NW, 11th Floor
Washington, DC 20001

Andrew Wyckoff, Director of the OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry (STI), will lead a unique business/government dialogue, which will include other top experts from the OECD’s Information, Computer and Communications Policy (ICCP) division and senior U.S. and foreign government officials. They will explore policy and regulatory challenges affecting U.S. companies that rely on ICT for business operations.

Proposed Topics

  • Internet Governance: Defending Stakeholder Principles
  • Shaping the Future of the Digital Economy: The Role of the OECD
  • Enhancing Trust and Boosting Innovation in the Digital Ecosystem
  • Global Trade & Local Rules: New Opportunities and Challenges for Digital Trade
  • Developments in Colombia’s ICT Sector, Policies and Regulations

Invited Keynotes

H.E. Diego Molano Vega – Minister of Information Technologies and Communications, Government of Colombia
Ambassador Daniel Sepulveda  – Deputy Assistant Secretary and U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, U.S. Department of State

Information on registration and the agenda to follow shortly.

 

Sponsored by:

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For more information, contact Erin Breitenbucher at ebreitenbucher@uscib.org or +1 202.682.7465.


For sponsorship opportunities,contact Abby Shapiro at ashapiro@uscib.org

Brought to you by:
United States Council for International Business (USCIB)
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD (BIAC)

APEC Leaders Identify Development of Regional Advertising Standards as 2014 Priority

Published on December 18, 2013

4654_image001Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders recently endorsed development work on best practice standards for regulating advertising at their ministerial meeting in Bali.

USCIB and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) are actively supporting this process, and welcomed the endorsement as a step forward validating previous work in this area to establish greater consistency in the rules and application of advertising frameworks in the region. This move will enable the recommendations of the November 2012 Hanoi Dialogue on Advertising Standards and Principles and Practice to be implemented.

USCIB and ICC are working with the Advertising Standards Bureau Australia (ASBA), the European Advertising Standards Alliance, the World Federation of Advertisers and other partners to establish consistency based on international best practice frameworks and encourage greater capacity for economies wishing to build an effective advertising self-regulatory system.

The Consolidated ICC Code of Advertising and Marketing Practice, developed by the ICC Commission on Marketing and Advertising, serves as a foundation for self-regulatory structures around the world. It offers a baseline for APEC economies developing advertising principles while also providing flexibility for local laws and culture to be reflected in a national code.

“Common principles and advertising standards have wisely been recognized as a worthwhile pursuit by APEC economies,” said ICC Commission Chair Brent Sanders, assistant general counsel with Microsoft, who also chairs USCIB’s Marketing and Advertising Committee. “They offer the benefit of reducing trade barriers while offering an effective means to foster corporate responsibility and consumer trust. Alignment with international standards will help position advertising to serve effectively and responsibly as a valuable engine of economic growth across the region.”

Read more on ICC’s website.

The new work stream in APEC will be a focus of discussion when the ICC commission meets in Paris on January 25. Earlier this month, members of USCIB’s committee held a conference call to discuss preparations for the Paris meeting, which will also review developments in developing an ICC framework for alcohol marketing, new work on digital advertising, and a number of other issues.

Staff contacts: Jonathan Huneke

More on USCIB’s Marketing and Advertising Committee

USCIBs Klein Named to International Tax Review’s Global Tax 50

Published on December 17, 2013
Carol Doran Klein
Carol Doran Klein

New York, N.Y., December 17, 2013 – USCIB’s Carol Doran Klein has been named one of International Tax Review‘s “Global Tax 50” for 2013, reflecting her own expertise and achievements as well as the business community’s close engagement with policy makers on international taxation.

In its profile of Klein, USCIB’s vice president for taxation, the influential publication said: “In a year that has seen large multilateral moves to tackle base erosion and profit shifting [BEPS], Klein has had her plate full in ensuring the concerns of U.S. business are heard. And with multiple action items on the OECD’s BEPS Action Plan scheduled for completion in 2014, her influence will continue to be critical if the views of U.S. business are to be heard in this international context.”

Now in its third year, the Global Tax 50 lists individuals and organizations who have had the greatest influence on tax policy, practice and administration in the last 12 months. Click here to read the entire listings on the International Tax Review website. Click here to read Klein’s profile and an interview.

“Hats off to Carol for this richly deserved honor,” exclaimed USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson. “I am delighted that all her hard work in representing business views to the OECD, to the United Nations and to national governments – including our own – is being recognized. Carol has become an indispensible resource for the business community and is providing a strong, knowledgeable voice on global tax matters.”

Others included in this year’s Global Tax 50 include: Will Morris, global tax policy advisor with GE and chair of the Taxation Committee at BIAC, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD (for which USCIB serves as the American affiliate); and Alan McLean, executive vice president for tax and corporate structure with Royal Dutch Shell, who is vice chair of the BIAC committee.

Each June, with BIAC and the OECD, USCIB holds an annual tax policy conference in Washington, D.C. This year’s conference is scheduled for June 2-3 at the Four Seasons Hotel. More information is available at www.uscibtax.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, including BIAC, 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.

Contact:

Jonathan Huneke, VP communications, USCIB
+1 212.703.5043 or jhuneke@uscib.org

More on USCIB’s Taxation Committee

Business and OECD Plan Major Conference on Internet Policy

Published on December 11, 2013

At this week’s meetings in Paris of the OECD Committee on Information, Communications, and Computer Policy, OECD member states learned details of a major conference being developed USCIB, BIAC (the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD), and the OECD. The conference, “Growth, Jobs, & Prosperity in the Digital Age: OECD Shapes the Policy Environment,” will be held March 10, 2014 in Washington, D.C.

In opening remarks to the OECD Working Party on the Information Economy, Anne Carblanc
of the OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry (STI) urged member governments to participate in the conference, which will highlight the OECD’s work on challenges and opportunities in growing the digital economy. “Through this program, we hope to increase the visibility of OECD work in context of Internet commons,” she said.

The half-day conference, which will be held at the Microsoft Policy and Innovation Center in Washington, will feature commentary by STI Director Andrew Wyckoff, senior U.S. officials, and leading industry experts. Their remarks will build upon topics explored during this week’s OECD meetings, including: enhancing trust and boosting innovation in the digital ecosystem, jobs and entrepreneurship, defending stakeholder principles in Internet governance and ensuring cross-border data flows. (The conference agenda will be available soon.)

By mid-week, OECD members had made progress on a number of important initiatives, according to Barbara Wanner, USCIB’s vice president for ICT policy. These include:

–          further work on a survey study on the economics of, “Copyright in the Age of the Internet”

–          agreement to revise the OECD 2002 Security Guidelines, building on the year-long work of the Security Experts Group – to which USCIB members directly contributed\

–          possible work on new study on the economics of the transition to IPv6 – the latest revision of the Internet Protocol, which provides an identification and location system for computers on networks and routes traffic across the Internet.

BIAC and USCIB representatives provided informed commentary on each of these projects and will monitor them closely as they progress.

Staff contact: Barbara Wanner

More on USCIB’s Information, Communications and Technology Committee

USCIB Welcomes Progress on Pacific Trade Talks

Published on December 10, 2013
U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman (second from right) with other TPP trade ministers in Singapore
U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman (second from right) with other TPP trade ministers in Singapore

New York, N.Y., December 10, 2013 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) today congratulated U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and negotiators from the other Trans-Pacific Partnership countries on making substantial progress in the latest round of TPP talks just concluded in Singapore.

“The Trans-Pacific Partnership is  an essential element in expanding our access to fast-growing markets in the Asia-Pacific region, which will spur economic growth and job creation,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson. “We encourage negotiators to continue striving for  a comprehensive, high-standards trade and investment agreement.”

In a joint statement earlier today, negotiators said: “For all TPP countries, an ambitious, comprehensive and high-standard agreement that achieves the goals established in Honolulu in 2011 is critical for creating jobs and promoting growth, providing opportunity for our citizens and contributing to regional integration and the strengthening of the multilateral trading system.”

Robinson urged the TPP governments to intensify their efforts in January with the goal of wrapping up negotiations as soon as possible. “We in the business community are committed to helping our governments conclude an ambitious agreement in short order,” he said.

In addition to the United States, the TPP talks encompass Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

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, 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, jhuneke@uscib.org

More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee

Fighting for Pro-FDI Policies at the OECD

Published on December 10, 2013

Shaun Donnelly, USCIB’s vice president for investment and financial services, led the a team of representatives from BIAC, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD, at last week’s “stakeholder” consultations with  the OECD Investment Committee in Paris.

Sparring with trade union and NGO representatives, who also have stakeholder status at the OECD, Donnelly urged OECD member governments to adopt consistent, predictable pro-investment policies and to speak up forcefully on behalf of the unique contributions of foreign direct investment to economic growth, competitiveness and jobs.

Donnelly highlighted the importance of high-standard international investment agreements, including provisions for arbitration and investor/state dispute settlement to resolve major investment problems. The BIAC team strongly encouraged the OECD secretariat and member governments to give a higher priority and greater visibility to its pro-investment policy efforts in the overall OECD work program.

Staff contact: Shaun Donnelly

More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee

USCIB Hails Breakthrough Adoption of WTO Bali Package

Published on December 7, 2013
USCIB Chairman Terry McGraw, who also chairs the International Chamber of Commerce, congratulated governments on adoption of a new package of trade liberalization measures
USCIB Chairman Terry McGraw, who also chairs the International Chamber of Commerce, congratulated governments on adoption of a new package of trade liberalization measures

New York, N.Y., December 7, 2013 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) applauded the adoption of an ambitious package of trade liberalization measures by World Trade Organization members at the WTO ministerial in Bali, Indonesia today.

”WTO members have delivered a dose of holiday cheer to a struggling global economy,” said USCIB President and CEOPeter Robinson. “We congratulate ministers on making the tough choices necessary to push this package of agreements past the finish line. They have demonstrated once again the critical importance of multilateral trade liberalization.”

Expectations ahead of the Bali meeting were low, said Robinson, in light of the inability of WTO members to agree to a package in preliminary meetings in Geneva last month, leaving the tough decisions for trade ministers. But he said the business community did not give up hope, and indeed redoubled its efforts to push governments toward an agreement. Robinson said the result – a set of agreements to, among other things, facilitate global trade through modernization of  customs and other administrative practices – “will add billions of dollars to global GDP and create millions of jobs.”

A major business push came from the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), which earlier this year estimated that a trade facilitation agreement alone would deliver global job gains of 21 million, with developing countries gaining more than 18 million jobs and developed countries increasing their workforce by three million.

“With our help, 159 countries came together to reach a trade facilitation agreement that will boost the world’s economy by almost one trillion U.S. dollars,” said ICC Chairman Terry McGraw, who also serves as USCIB’s chairman, in a video message to governments and ICC members worldwide. “What an accomplishment! And the good news is everyone participated.”

McGraw said the agreement “breaks through the logjam that has bottled up trade agreements for the last decade, and paves the way for future agreements that will further increase global growth and job creation.”

The business community, already rallying in support of renewed Trade Promotion Authority as well as prospective U.S. trade pacts with 12 Asia-Pacific nations and the European Union, will push hard for adoption of the Bali package by Congress, according to USCIB Senior Vice President Rob Mulligan, who attended the Bali ministerial and who spearheads USCIB’s Washington-based activities. “We in the private sector are united in our support for this agreement, and for additional action to spur jobs and growth through international trade,” he said.

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 Trade and Investment Committee