Staworzynska Leads Negotiations on Digitalization in Retail at the ILO

Published on October 6, 2023

Last week, the International Labor Organization (ILO) convened a sectoral meeting on “Digitalization in the Retail Sector as an Engine for Economic Recovery and Decent Work.” The meeting brought together experts from around the world to discuss the rapid transformations in the retail sector and how to harness the potential of digitalization to advance post-pandemic recovery and decent work globally. The week-long meeting in Geneva resulted in a set of Conclusions, adopted by consensus.

USCIB Director of Corporate Responsibility and Labor Affairs Ewa Staworzynska served as the spokesperson on behalf of the Employers Group, representing business from all regions.

“Digitalization in the retail sector has brought new innovations and technologies and allowed for new jobs to be created,” said Staworzynska. “Digitalization is also facilitating formalization of work, which is important since many of the 420 million people employed in retail operate in the informal sector. Digitalization truly is a catalyst for economic growth and decent work,” she said.

According to Staworzynska, the negotiations were between employers, workers and government delegates, in line with the tripartite structure of the ILO. Several USCIB member companies were present as advisors to the employer delegation.

As a follow-up to the sectoral meeting, the ILO has been asked to continue promoting ratification of ILO instruments and providing technical assistance to Member States. The ILO was also asked to build capacities of its tripartite constituents to develop strategies for greater investment in digital technologies for enterprises and for the promotion of skills development programs, among others. They are also expected to share good practices and collect data on social inclusion and how harnessing digitalization can advance formalization and social dialogue in the sector.

Clark Promotes a Permanent Extension of the E-Commerce Moratorium at OECD Global Forum on Trade

Published on October 4, 2023

Alice Slayton Clark speaks at the OECD Global Forum on Trade

This week, USCIB Vice President for International Investment and Trade Policy Alice Slayton Clark is at the OECD Global Forum on Trade in Paris, which is focused this year on Making Digital Trade Work for All.

Clark spoke on the panel dedicated to the World Trade Organization (WTO) “e-commerce moratorium,” a commitment by WTO members over the past 25 years to refrain from imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions.  The moratorium is up for renewal at the next WTO ministerial conference in February 2024, and USCIB as well as Business at OECD members are urgently pressing for extension.

Clark not only advocated permanent renewal, but she outlined the extensive benefits the moratorium has delivered in terms of growing the digital economy, enabling micro-small and medium sized enterprise (MSMEs) to thrive in the global market place particularly during times of global challenge, facilitating the flow of information and promoting integration of developing countries in the global economy.

“A few countries are vocally questioning support for the moratorium, seeking to  increase revenues achieved by imposing new duties; to erect national walls around digital data; and to safeguard regulatory flexibility in the digital space,” said Clark. “Unfortunately, allowing the moratorium to expire would raise tariffs, destabilize global digital trade, raise costs for consumers and pose unnecessary barriers to MSMEs seeking to navigate the global marketplace,” Clark asserted.  Importantly she pointed out that an end to the moratorium would upend the mission of the WTO to facilitate trade and undermine the very fabric of a multilateral trading system already under intense geopolitical strain – a enormous setback for the upcoming 13th WTO ministerial conference in Abu Dhabi.

Clark was in Geneva last month meeting with foreign missions at the WTO and advocating for the moratorium renewal along with a high standard outcome for the Joint Statement Initiative negotiations on E-commerce. These priorities are well supported through evidence-research in a new OECD paper, “Key Issues in Digital Trade,” released at the Global Trade Forum this week.

The Global Trade Forum is an annual OECD event, gathering OECD and non-OECD policymakers, international organizations, industry and academia to address pressing issues concerning the economy. Panelists also addressed issues relating to inclusive trade, how to avoid digital fragmentation, how digital trade can facilitate sustainability, cross border data flows and data localization and the way forward for MC13.

In Joint Industry Statement, USCIB Advocates for Trade to Remain Open in Case of Government Shutdown

Published on September 27, 2023

USCIB joined other trade and industry associations in a statement regarding a potential lapse in government funding beginning on October 1. The statement advocates for all channels of international trade to remain open in the case of a federal government shutdown.

“The statement underscores that import and export activities remain vital to the nation’s economy and global trade, even during a government shutdown,” said USCIB Senior Director for Customs and Trade Facilitation Megan Giblin. “To regulate the flow of goods and combat illicit trade, maintaining key trade avenues remains vital, and collaboration between the government and the private sector is necessary.”

Specifically, the statement recommends the upkeep of a “war room” by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) during a potential shutdown in order to maintain a line of communication between the private sector and CBP. This “war room” should be operated by staff from Participating Government Agencies (PGAs). Additionally, the trade community emphasizes that trade must continue to flow both ways, allowing for the facilitation of inbound and outbound licenses, inspections and cargo screening.

“In the event of any government shutdown, coordination between the private sector and the government must remain a priority,” added Giblin. “Daily briefings from CBP, as have occurred during past lapses of funding, are highly encouraged.”

USCIB, along with industry organizations, strongly urges the government to support global trade, which powers the American economy, during the potential lapse in government funding.

USCIB ICT Committee Announces Leadership Changes

Published on September 27, 2023

USCIB has announced the appointment of Mastercard Fellow JoAnn Stonier as the new chair of the USCIB ICT Policy Committee, effective October 1. Current Committee chair Ellen Blackler (Disney) will be stepping down from the chairmanship on September 29. Blackler will remain a member of the ICT policy committee.

“We’d like to express our gratitude to Ellen for five outstanding years of leadership, during which she led the committee through many challenging issue areas,” said USCIB Vice President for ICT Policy Barbara Wanner. “Concurrently, we’re delighted that JoAnn will take on the important role of driving the committee’s ongoing work and strategy.”

According to Wanner, Stonier has been involved in the Committee’s work for many years and, through USCIB’s affiliation with Business at OECD (BIAC), has made impressive contributions to the OECD’s privacy and data governance work. She also participated in the recent Metaverse Roundtables in May and June 2023, which were organized by BIAC and The USCIB Foundation.

USCIB Provides Comments on China’s WTO Compliance, Urges Customs Reform, IP Protection and Open Market Access

Published on September 27, 2023

USCIB submitted comments on September 20 to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) regarding China’s WTO compliance with its World Trade Organization commitments. The submission raised a variety of concerns, including shortcomings with respect to intellectual property (IP) protection, trade facilitation, and market access.

The report notes that although China has improved many of its key IP laws since acceding to the WTO, there is a continued need to pressure China to comply with the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) standards. According to USCIB, China provides inadequate criminal liability for copyright offenses and establishes inadequate thresholds for making a copyright case.

The submission also focuses on sectoral issues, such as agriculture and grain exports, high levels of piracy in the audiovisual sector and a lack of openness in the Chinese telecommunications market. For example, China’s Telecom Services Catalog incorrectly classifies a wide range of ICT technologies and services as telecom services, and there is increased scrutiny over China’s Cybersecurity Law. The comments put pressure on the U.S. government to address these key areas for global commerce, trade facilitation and security.

Echoing USCIB’s 2022 submission regarding China’s WTO compliance to USTR, the comments continue to voice concern over the Section 301 tariffs imposed against Chinese imports.

“USCIB condemns the unfair Chinese practices identified under the Section 301 investigations, including forced technology transfer requirements, intellectual property infringements, state interventions, and other unfair trade practices that harm U.S. companies, workers, consumers, and competitiveness. While we remain wholly committed to U.S. efforts to confront unfair trade practices, we are concerned that the Section 301 tariffs imposed against Chinese imports have done more harm than good, raising the cost of doing business in the United States and increased prices for U.S. families and workers,” said USCIB Vice President for International Investment and Trade Policy Alice Slayton Clark.

“China remains an important player on the world stage, and although cooperation can be challenging, we must continue to push for transparency and open market access,” she added. “Ensuring that China remains compliant with WTO regulations by bilaterally addressing challenges must remain a priority for the United States.”

USCIB Leads Business Delegation and Engages in High-Level Discussions at 2023 WTO Public Forum

Published on September 20, 2023
USCIB’s Alice Slayton Clark with WTO’s Angela Ellard and USCIB members at the 2023 WTO Public Forum

USCIB was in Geneva last week for the 2023 World Trade Organization (WTO) Public Forum alongside member companies and industry associations. The USCIB delegation advocated for member priorities, such as a high-level outcome and successful conclusion of the JSI on E-Commerce, a permanent moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions, opposition to a waiver extension for COVID-19 diagnostics and therapeutics, a third round of negotiations to liberalize tariffs in information techonology products (ITA-3), and elimination of tariff and non-tariff measures on environmental goods and services.  

USCIB Vice President for International Investment and Trade Policy Alice Slayton Clark and Policy and Program Assistant Ashley Harrington led the USCIB delegation, facilitating meetings with WTO officials including WTO Deputy Director General Angela Ellard, Director of the WTO Trade and Environment Division Hoe Lim, issue experts from the U.S. Mission to the WTO and trade officials at the International Organization of Employers (IOE). Members immersed in detailed exchanges on the aforementioend concerns and also explored areas for industry inputs on circularity, environmental goods, climate mitigation, and plastics as part of the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD). 

L-R: Ashley Harrington and Alice Slayton Clark

Clark and Harrington activeily pariticipated in multi-association meetings with WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on WTO reform and key issues being advanced as deliverables for the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) in February 2024, as well as with ambassadors from Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore on semiconductor and digital technology concerns. Collaborations culminated in a joint U.S. industry reception at the WTO where scores of officials from WTO missions, policy experts and member companies gathered for an evening of networking and fun. 

Another treat for USCIB members in Geneva was the semi-annual meeting of the International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC) Trade and Investment Policy Commission, where they were briefed by myriad WTO ambassadors and officials on the outlook for MC13 and interacted with the various ICC national committee representatives from around the globe. This all occured amid the backdrop of the WTO Public Forum, showcasing 134 panel discussion on how trade can contribute to a greener and more sustainable future.   

“USCIB delivered excellent engagement opportunities during these meetings, advocating positions and discussing creative solutions for the top concerns of our members,” said Clark. “We remain a determined voice for business and industry at the WTO and will continue to highlight policy issues that are important to our members and advance industry’s positions in multilateral discussions.” 

Swiss Government Names USCIB’s Rick Minor to DC Study Group

Published on September 20, 2023
L-R: Rick Minor (USCIB) and Jacques Pitteloud (Swiss Ambassador)

The Swiss government has named USCIB VP of Tax Rick Minor to its 3rd Study Tour to Switzerland from September 26 to 29.

Minor will join 10 other Washington DC-based association and think tank leaders for a full program of high level meetings with Swiss business leaders, politicians and international organizations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) and World Economic Forum in an itinerary that includes Zurich, Berne, Geneva and Lausanne.

“This year’s trip will explore the theme of innovation in Switzerland, focusing on topics in the areas of finance and the green economy,” according to the invitation from Ambassador Jacques Pitteloud.

USCIB Publishes Reports with Business Recommendations to Help Scale UN SDGs

Published on September 18, 2023
Guy Ryder (UN) speaks at the USCIB High Level Roundtable during UNGA78
Guy Ryder (UN) speaks at the USCIB High Level Roundtable during UNGA78

New York, N.Y., September 18, 2023 — With the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in full swing, the United States Council for International Business (USCIB) announced the release of two highly-anticipated reports that provide recommendations to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit. The reports — Business & the UN 2.0 and Roadmap for Results — focus on inclusive and practical multilateralism that will help scale progress of SDG target action and focus on the role of business and other stakeholders.

The reports begin with a foreword by USCIB Board of Trustees Sustainability Champion and Novozymes CEO Ester Baiget. She writes, “As blueprints for action, Roadmap for Results walks the talk of inclusive multilateralism, offering pragmatic insights and business strategies and a focus on positive impact. Business and the UN 2.0 discusses interfaces between the private sector and the multilateral system.”

USCIB’s Moving the Needle (MTN) initiative launched the reports at a USCIB High-Level Business Roundtable. The Roundtable focused on sustainability, solidarity and shared prosperity and featured high-level speakers from AT&T, Bayer, Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, the U.S. Department of State, the UN, the International Organization of Employers (IOE) and many others. Discussion topics included innovative Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the benefit of people and planet and public private partnerships for innovation and infrastructure. Business leaders from USCIB member companies presented practical business recommendations highlighted in the reports, to ramp up implementation of the SDGs and strengthen the UN’s effectiveness and impact.

“USCIB has been a staunch supporter and committed partner to the United Nations since our founding,” said USCIB President and CEO Whitney Baird in closing remarks at the Roundtable. “As the only U.S. business organization at the UN, we take our responsibility seriously to provide solutions and showcase U.S. business leadership.”

About MTN
USCIB launched the MTN initiative during the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly to focus on three priorities identified by the UN President of the General Assembly: Solutions for Sustainability, Science, and Solidarity. Through multistakeholder roundtables, held around the globe in 2022-2023, which culminated in Business & the UN 2.0 and Roadmap for Results, MTN contributed insights to the ongoing deliberations concerning inadequate progress at the halfway mark towards the UN 2030 Agenda.

About USCIB
The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) advances the global interests of American business. We do so through advocacy for an open system of world trade, finance, and investment, where business can flourish and contribute to economic growth, human welfare, and environmental protection. We are the sole U.S. affiliate of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Business at OECD (BIAC) and the International Organization of Employers (IOE). USCIB is also the only U.S. business organization with standing at the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and is recognized at the UN Environment Program (UNEP), UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UN CBD).

USCIB’s Staworzynska to Chair IOE Group on Human Rights & Responsible Business Conduct

Published on September 13, 2023

The International Organization of Employers (IOE) has just approved the nomination of USCIB Director for Corporate Responsibility and Labor Affairs, Ewa Staworzynska, as the new chair of the IOE Policy Working Group on Human Rights and Responsible Business Conduct (RBC).

“IOE’s Policy Working Group on Human Rights and RBC offers IOE members and corporate partners a space to discuss national and international policy developments, share businesses’ contributions to human rights and RBC policy matters, and collectively engage at the global policy stage,” said Staworzynska.

As the representative of employers at the ILO, and as the representative of business on social and employment policy issues in other multilateral fora, the IOE provides a vital business perspective to the many activities and initiatives that seek to advance the Business and Human Rights and Responsible Business Conduct agenda. IOE advocates on behalf of business for reasonable, realistic and workable solutions to the world’s myriad socio-economic challenges.

“Human rights and RBC is a priority for USCIB members,” added Staworzynska. “American companies’ are deeply committed to RBC and strongly value international policy engagements on these issues.”

Wanner Delivers Stakeholder Intervention at UN on New Cybercrime Convention 

Published on August 23, 2023
Barbara Wanner

This week, the United Nations convened a meeting to finalize a new draft UN Convention that would counter the use of ICTs for cybercrime. USCIB Vice President for ICT Policy Barbara Wanner was on the ground in New York and delivered a stakeholder intervention that focused on scope of the Convention and data protection safeguards.  

The negotiation for the text of this new Convention, officially called the “Ad Hoc Committee to Elaborate a Comprehensive International Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies for Criminal Purposes,” aims to address the abuse of information technologies to scale and speed crimes such as terrorism, human trafficking, smuggling of migrants, drug trafficking, and illicit manufacturing and trafficking in firearms.    

Wanner’s intervention reflected comments also made by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), USCIB member Microsoft, and the Cybersecurity Tech Accord. 

“The Convention should align with existing instruments and data protection standards to avoid conflict of laws, confusion, delays, increased costs, and potential cooperation breakdown,” said Wanner. Wanner also addressed the draft’s provisions for government access to personal data, related to a wide variety of cyber-enabled crimes that are not currently defined in the draft without appropriate safeguards.  

“Combined with the lack of clarity on jurisdiction for this category of crimes, data custodians will have no way of determining whether government requests for data access are reasonable and proportional,” added Wanner. 

Wanner referenced the OECD Declaration on Government Access to Personal Data Held by Private Sector Entities, adopted in December 2022, as a good model.  

“The OECD framework aims to clarify how national security and law enforcement agencies can access personal data under existing legal frameworks,” added Wanner.