Policy Areas Archives

Labor Department Panel Looks at Ways to Reduce Child Labor Abroad

Published on June 25, 2009

On June 10, a day designated by the International Labor Organization as World Day Against Child Labor, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis led a panel discussion in Washington among employers representatives, unions, aid groups and other NGOs to discuss strategies to combat child labor in poorer countries.

Also leading the discussion were Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Christina Tchen, the executive director of the White House Council on Women and Girls.  This year marks the 10th anniversary of ILO Convention 182, which seeks to combat the worst forms of child labor.  Sen. Harkin said that much progress has been made since then, but that nations “must keep a light focused on this [issue], to get kids out of the worst forms of child labor and into schools.”

USCIB Vice President Adam Greene reported on the results of a USCIB-sponsored workshop on child labor, held last February in Atlanta.  He said main key conclusions included the need for all stakeholders to raise awareness of the issue, to work together and to focus on holistic solutions that address the root causes of child labor in the societies where it occurs.

Among the other business representatives who spoke at the event, Cindy Sawyer, director of work environment and workplace rights at The Coca-Cola Company, noted that her company has a firm policy prohibiting child labor in its supply chain.  But “no one sector or actor” can solve the problem by itself, she said.  “We need to bring together national and local governments, industry, and local groups” to help fight child labor.

Labor Department press release on the event

Information on World Day Against Child Labor (ILO website)

More on USCIB’s Labor and Employment Committee

New Global Commitment to Tackle Jobs Crisis

Published on June 18, 2009
The ILO’s headquarters in Geneva: governments, employers and trade unions will adopt a Global Jobs Pact at the conclusion of the annual ILO conference.
The ILO’s headquarters in Geneva: governments, employers and trade unions will adopt a Global Jobs Pact at the conclusion of the annual ILO conference.

Geneva and New York, June 18, 2009 – Employers, trade unions and governments have reached a historic global agreement on measures to promote employment and enterprise development during economic recovery, according to the International Organization of Employers (IOE).

The Global Jobs Pact will today be adopted by the International Labor Organization (ILO) annual conference in Geneva – the main United Nations labor and social policy forum.  It will be the first truly global identification of labor and social measures to combat the crisis, which brings together both the developed and developing world.

The Geneva-based IOE is the largest private-sector network in the world, representing national business federations in 140 countries.  It is the leading international business organization on social and labor matters, directly representing business in the ILO and working closely with policy makers at all levels.  The United States Council for International Business (USCIB), based in New York, serves as the IOE’s American affiliate.

USCIB Executive Vice President Ronnie Goldberg, who serves on the ILO’s governing body, helped draft the Global Jobs Pact.  She said it lays out clearly the policy approaches needed to support job creation by the private sector.

“Enterprises of all sizes have been negatively impacted by the crisis, and they all require the right policies to return to growth,” stated Ms. Goldberg.

The Global Jobs Pact directly meets the challenge laid down by G20 governments in April – supporting employment by stimulating growth, investing in education and training and implementing effective labor market policies, while also focusing on the most vulnerable.

“Having agreed measures which can combat the crisis, the hard work now begins,” the IOE said in a statement.  “The challenge for the ILO, international organizations, governments, trade unions and employers, will be translating these ideas into practical measures which actually make a difference on the ground.  The true test of the new pact will be its translation into more jobs in all countries.”

The Global Jobs Pact underlines the key role the private sector must play in any recovery.  It emphasizes the importance of policies that support business survival, entrepreneurship and investment. It also identifies the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, infrastructure development, and the positive role of rural employment, as measures to respond to the jobs crisis.

“The employers of the world are committed to ensuring the global jobs pact translates into more sustainable enterprises and therefore more jobs and a rapid and comprehensive global economic recovery,” stated the IOE.  “The survival of private enterprises will be critical to that recovery.”

The text of the Global Jobs Pact is available on the ILO’s website (www.ilo.org).  Click here to access a copy.

USCIB promotes international engagement and prudent regulation in support of open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility. Its members include top U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of the economy, with operations in every region of the world.  With a unique global network encompassing leading international business organizations, including the IOE, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment.

Contacts:
Scott Barklamb, IOE
+41 22.917.68.02 or barklamb@ioe-emp.org

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

ILO website

IOE website

More on USCIB’s Labor and Employment Committee

Briefing: Are Countries Living Up to Their Open-Market Promises?

Published on June 18, 2009
BIAC Chairman Charles Heeter of Deloitte (right) introduces OECD Secretary General Angel Gurría.
BIAC Chairman Charles Heeter of Deloitte (right) introduces OECD Secretary General Angel Gurría.

On June 2, coincident with USCIB’s latest OECD tax conference, we had the pleasure of hosting a timely and well attended luncheon in Washington, D.C., examining the OECD’s role in helping keep markets open to cross-border investment.

Taking place against the backdrop of ongoing economic turmoil, growing protectionist sentiment and ambitious proposals for regulatory reform, these two events provided important opportunities for USCIB members to interact directly with senior government and international officials making the decisions that will shape the future of the global economy.  They also underlined the importance of USCIB’s affiliation with the Business and Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC) to the OECD in providing access to the work of the OECD.

The open markets lunch, organized with support from the TransAtlantic Business Dialogue, BIAC, Deloitte and several other leading business organizations, was titled “The Global Investment Agenda: Challenges to Global Capital Flows and Foreign Investment.”  The impetus for the session was growing concern that cross-border capital flows have contracted sharply and that governments, while cognizant of the benefits of open investment regimes, are apt to yield to domestic economic and  political pressures and impede cross-border investment.

OECD Secretary General Angel Gurría set the tone in his opening address, declaring: “It is crucial for the investment policy community to counter such pressures, now and firmly.”  He noted that the OECD is ideally placed to work on investment openness, and that along with the IMF, WTO and UNCTAD, it is monitoring investment activity to ensure that governments refrain from raising new investment barriers.  A report by this group will be sent to the G20.

A panel chaired by Dan Price (Sidley Austin), a top White House aide in the previous administration and including Jeff Shafer (Citigroup), Jose Vinals (International Monetary Fund) and Matthias Sonn (German Embassy), picked up the general theme struck by Mr. Gurría.  They urged business to raise its voice to the Obama Administration on the need for strong leadership to resist investment protectionism and to keep markets open for cross-border investment.

Staff contact: Rob Mulligan

More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee

OECD Tax Conference Tackles Crisis’s Impact on Tax Rules

Published on June 2, 2009
Rep. Charles Rangel (D. – N.Y.) addressed the conference.
Rep. Charles Rangel (D. – N.Y.) addressed the conference.

Washington, D.C., June 2, 2009 – Participants at a major conference on global tax policy organized by the United States Council for International Business and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development addressed new challenges arising out of the ongoing economic crisis.  Over 200 attendees, including senior corporate executives and government officials, met over two days to review the 30-nation OECD’s evolving role in shaping international tax policy.

“OECD initiatives can help rebuild the post-crisis global economy,” said OECD Secretary General Angel Gurría.  “They are aimed at guaranteeing the level playing field, integrity, transparency, fairness and predictability that are the cornerstones of a healthy international economy in which businesses can compete fairly.”  He said the financial crisis would focus policy makers’ attention on tax rules that may encourage “excessive risk-taking.”

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D. – N.Y.) addressed the gathering, observing that he expects tax reform to be a priority for the current presidential term.  He said reduction of corporate tax rates could be part of reform, but only as part of a balanced package that increases overall fairness.  He invited business to enter into a dialogue with Congress to develop useful proposals.  Congressman Rangel also called for greater international cooperation to target tax evasion.

IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman, providing the conference’s keynote remarks, said the financial crisis showed global interconnectedness in “stark terms.”  He said President Obama‘s tax proposals aimed to promote fairness and reduce tax avoidance.  “Good laws make it easier to do right and harder to do wrong,” he said.

Panels at the conference addressed a range of international tax topics, including bilateral tax treaties, transfer pricing and permanent establishment, attribution of profits and business restructuring.  Jeffrey Owens, director of the OECD’s Center for Tax Policy Administration, said the loss of tax revenue brought about by the ongoing global recession would put pressure on governments to review rules governing transfer pricing, potentially affecting how companies allocate losses among jurisdictions where they operate.

The conference was co-organized by the Business and Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC) to the OECD, which officially represents the view of industry in the Paris-based body.   It was the fourth such event organized by USCIB, the OECD and BIAC.  “This conference has grown into a bit of a springtime tradition for us,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter M. Robinson.  “It’s clear that the critical nature of the OECD’s tax policy work merits regular high-level gatherings with business.”

Supporting organizations included the International Fiscal Association – USA Branch, International Tax Policy Forum, National Foreign Trade Council, Organization for International Investment, Tax Council Policy Institute, Tax Executives Institute, Inc., and the Tax Foundation.

USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and prudent regulation.  Its members include top 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, VP communications, USCIB
(212) 703-5043 or jhuneke@uscib.org.

Conference website

More on USCIB’s Taxation Committee

OECD website

Business Makes an Impact at Commission on Sustainable Development

Published on May 27, 2009
(Photo: United Nations)
(Photo: United Nations)

On May 15, the 17th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) concluded two years of negotiations on how to drive forward implementation of Rio and Johannesburg summit commitments in six major development areas – agriculture, land, water, rural development, drought, and Africa.  The two-week summit, which included a high-level session, agreed a set of priorities to expedite the implementation of sustainability measures in the cluster of land and agriculture issues.

USCIB and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) served as the primary business representatives at the CSD, working with the International Agrifood Network, Croplife International and the International Fertilizer Association.  The CSD recognizes nine “major groups,” or important sectors of society, which are expected to contribute their experiences in implementing Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, and in identifying future areas for partnership and strengthened implementation.  ICC represents the “business and industry” major group, and has official status in the CSD’s activities.

Business engagement in the CSD session – which was attended by representatives of over 60 governments and numerous non-governmental organizations – emphasized the stake and contribution of a broad range of industries that are concerned in the food value and supply chain, as well as in other promising areas, such as biotechnology, energy and sustainable chemistry.  Business representatives underscored the importance of flexibility to reflect national circumstances, integrated policies that reflect risk assessment and management, sound science and economics.

“We were able to draw attention to the need for a strengthened focus on capacity-building and information-based approaches,” said Helen Medina, USCIB’s director of agriculture, health care and biotechnology.  “One critical element of that is to ensure that intellectual property rights are protected and strengthened.  This year’s CSD deliberations made good progress in providing momentum to international cooperation to address the food crisis, and to advance emerging technologies in other agricultural areas, such as bio-energy and biotechnology.”

The draft text included references to trade, technology, climate change, biodiversity, and the right to food.  Throughout the week, USCIB and ICC met with several with government officials and intergovernmental authorities to stress the importance of advancing measures to accelerate economic recovery and address trade, IPR and biodiversity in their primary forums, such as the World Trade Organization, the World International Property Organization and UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

A copy of the full CSD conclusions text, the ICC discussion Paper on CSD-17 and all Business and Industry interventions can be found on ICC’s website at www.iccwbo.org/policy/environment/id1465/index.html.

Staff contacts: Helen Medina and Norine Kennedy

More on the International Chamber of Commerce

More on USCIB’s Food and Agriculture Working Group

More on USCIB’s Environment Committee

UN Commission on Sustainable Development website

Washington Hosts Global Tax Policy Conference

Published on May 19, 2009

U.S. and international officials to discuss key developments at latest OECD event

OECD Tax 2009Washington, D.C., May 19, 2009 – Against the backdrop of renewed attention in Washington on multinational tax issues, company executives and tax counsel have an opportunity next month to learn about the latest international tax policy developments affecting their businesses.  Top officials with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which is playing an increasingly important role in international tax deliberations, will take part in a two-day conference organized by the United States Council for International Business (USCIB).

“The OECD’s Evolving Role in Shaping International Tax Policy,” June 1 and 2 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C., is the latest in a regular series of conferences focusing on the OECD’s key role in global tax matters.  The event provides insight into how the Paris-based OECD, which groups the world’s most advanced industrialized nations, influences tax policies worldwide, and how business can engage with it.

“More and more, executives and tax planners are coming to recognize the scope of the OECD’s work, and the importance of an informed, ongoing dialogue with the OECD secretariat and its member states,” according to Lynda K. Walker, USCIB’s vice president and international tax counsel.  “This year’s event provides high-level access to key OECD representatives and influential U.S. policy makers.”

Speakers at the two-day conference will include OECD Secretary General Angel Gurría, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D. – N.Y.), IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman and Jeffrey Owens, director of the OECD’s Center for Tax Policy Administration.  Panels will include numerous other U.S. and OECD officials along with representatives of industry and the legal community.  Topics range from transfer pricing and permanent establishment to attribution of profits and business restructuring.  OECD enlargement, dispute resolution and an open-microphone “Ask the OECD” panel will round out the agenda.

The conference is being co-organized by the Business and Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC) to the OECD, which officially represents the view of industry in the 30-nation body.  Supporting organizations include the International Fiscal Association – USA Branch, International Tax Policy Forum, National Foreign Trade Council, Organization for International Investment, Tax Council Policy Institute, Tax Executives Institute, Inc., and the Tax Foundation.

USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and prudent regulation.  Its members include top 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.

Contact:
Jonathan Huneke, VP communications, USCIB
(212) 703-5043 or jhuneke@uscib.org.

Conference agenda, registration form and other information

More on USCIB’s Taxation Committee

OECD website

ENGAGING BUSINESS: ADDRESSING CHILD LABOR

Published on May 17, 2009

Sponsored by the U.S. Council for International Business, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce,

and the International Organization of Employersin Cooperation with the International Labor Organization

Hosted by The Coca-Cola Company

Atlanta, Georgia

February 25, 2009

Presentations:

(Benjamin Smith, Chief Technical Advisor, International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labor, International Labor Organization)

(Benjamin Smith)

(Charita Castro, Operations and Research, Division Chief; Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking; US Department of Labor)

(John B. Trew, Senior Technical Advisor, Child Labor & Girls’ Education)

Flu Pandemic Resources

Published on May 16, 2009
Negative stain EM image of the swine influenza A/CA/4/09 (Photo: CDC)
Negative stain EM image of the swine influenza A/CA/4/09 (Photo: CDC)

Following are helpful links to resources from key public authorities, USCIB member organizations and our global network on the ongoing H1N1 flu (swine flu) pandemic.

For information on USCIB’s Health Care Working Group, please contact Helen Medina (hmedina@uscib.org).

World Health Organization:

– H1N1 updates

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

– H1N1 flu page

International Organization of Employers:

– IOE Information to Members on the Current Swine

Influenza A (H1n1) Developments (May 1, 2009)

Baker & McKenzie:

– Employer Response to Pandemic Flu Warnings (April 2009)

– Canada Employer Alert on “Swine Flu” (April 2009)

Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP: –Fragomen Global Update on Swine Flu Responses Worldwide (May 5, 2009)

–Fragomen Global Update on Swine Flu Responses in China (May 8, 2009)

Google

-Google Flu Trends (May 2009): http://www.google.org/flutrends

More on USCIB’s Health Care Working Group

G8 Business Federation Heads Unite on Need to Avoid Credit Crunch

Published on April 24, 2009

Meeting in Sardinia, they also call for open trade and a concerted effort on climate

Sardinia was host to this year’s G8 Business Summit.
Sardinia was host to this year’s G8 Business Summit.

Santa Margherita di Pula, Italy, April 24, 2009 – Business leaders from the G8 nations gathered in Sardinia yesterday and today to address urgent global economic issues.  Their conclusions and recommendations are contained in a joint declaration that will be presented to the G8 heads of state in preparation for July’s G8 Summit in Abruzzo, Italy.

The G8 Business Summit, hosted by Confindustria, the Italian Confederation of Industry, focused on three pressing issues: responses to the financial and economic crisis, free trade and investment, and the need to tackle climate change.

The United States was represented by William G.  Parrett, chairman of the United States Council for International Business, Harold W.  McGraw III, CEO of The McGraw-Hill Companies and chairman of the Business Roundtable, and Thomas Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S.  Chamber of Commerce.

The business summit is the fourth multilateral meeting to be organized by the main business associations representing the private sector in the countries that make up the G8.  The first G8 Business Summit was held in Berlin in 2007, followed by Tokyo in 2008 and an extraordinary Summit dedicated to the financial crisis, held in December 2008 in Paris.

The main conclusions of the 2009 summit, contained in detail in the G8 Business Summit joint declaration, are:

Response to the financial and economic crisis: Business Leaders addressed the need to find short- and medium- to long-term solutions to address recovery of the real economy by stimulating economic growth, employment, global trade and investment.  The greatest and most urgent efforts must be directed at avoiding and mitigating the impact of a broader credit crunch.  It is crucial to restore companies’ access to finance at reasonable prices.  The need to durably reinforce financial stability requires proper financial market reforms ensuring a suitable balance between better regulation and risk prevention.

Free trade and investment: Business Leaders called for open trade and sound investment policies, which are vital in strengthening economic growth, job creation and industry competitiveness, and are especially important to small and medium companies, severely affected by the credit and liquidity crunch and by increasing limitations on market access worldwide.  The economic situation requires G8 governments to strengthen and publicly renew their full commitment to an open global economy.  The successful conclusion of the Doha Round in 2009 lies at the heart of all possible strategies as it is the most effective way to establish a level playing field at the global level and its positive conclusion would weaken the drifts towards protectionism and isolationism in the global economy.  The delivery of an ambitious and balanced WTO agreement would be a concrete symbol of effective international cooperation and the strongest possible stimulus for the recovery of the global economy and for the growth of developing and less developed economies.  G8 Business also calls for the conclusion of the negotiations for the accession of Russia to the WTO before completion of the Doha Round.

Tackling climate change: the road to Copenhagen.  Business Leaders called for a concerted global effort based on long-term cooperative action as the only way to succeed in tackling the issue of climate change.  The forthcoming Copenhagen UNFCCC conference is a great opportunity to reach a global agreement based on clear, equitable and firm worldwide commitments to emission reduction.  Business accepts its share of the responsibility and has already made major changes in operations including introducing new processes, products and services to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and will continue to tackle climate change.  However, business calls for the full burden of emissions reduction to be shared among all emitters.  Tackling climate change can unleash numerous business opportunities, provided that innovation and technological development are properly encouraged.  To effectively achieve emissions reduction targets, business needs to remain competitive.  Clear, predictable and stable frameworks are essential for long-term planning and investments at national, regional and international levels.  At the same time, policies must be balanced to avoid diverting resources away from innovation and encouraging protectionist barriers to trade.

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

Contact:
Jonathan Huneke, VP Communications, USCIB
Tel: +1 212.703.5043 (office) or +1 917.420.0039 (mobile)
E-mail: jhuneke@uscib.org

G8 business leaders declaration 

G8 Summit official website

More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee

More on USCIB’s Environment Committee

Protection From Brand Infection

Published on March 23, 2009

steel boxUSCIB has teamed up with the Chief Marketing Officer Council on “Protection from Brand Infection,” a new initiative to help leading brand specialists understand and contain the brand damage caused by counterfeiting, piracy and fraud.

A variety of tricks, schemes and frauds have been “infecting” leading brands for years.  According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, counterfeiting and piracy cost the U.S. economy between $200 billion and $250 billion per year, as well as 750,000 American jobs.  A Gartner study estimates 3.6 million Americans lost $3.2 billion in the 12 months ending in August 2007 to phishing scams.

To help explore these issues of brand image and integrity issues and implications, “Protection from Brand Infection” will examine how Internet fraud schemes are impacting brand trust, confidence, credibility and affinity among consumers, channels and business partners and what today’s senior marketers can do to combat these schemes.

Please share your experiences with us by completing this brief online survey.  All responses will be kept confidential and all participants will receive a free copy of the final research report.

For more information on the survey or the CMO Council, please contact Peter Moore at (646) 652-5205 or pmoore@globalfluency.com.

Thank you in advance for your participation!

Click here to launch the survey

More on USCIB’s Intellectual Property Committee

More on USCIB’s Marketing and Advertising Committee