Corporate Responsibility and Labor Affairs Archives

USCIB Members Contribute to Better Business Bureau Forum

Published on June 9, 2017
Panel on Leading the Way: Corporate Responsibility Trends and Engagement Strategies. L-R: Eric Gertler (New York Daily News), Jennifer Ryan Crozier (IBM), Timothy J. McClimon (American Express), Kathryn Wylde (Partnership for New York City)

USCIB and its members participated in the Better Business Bureau of Metropolitan New York, which hosted its annual Forum on Corporate Responsibility, Navigating Engagement: Strategies to Inspire Action and Build Impact on June 6. USCIB participated in the forum, which was a half-day event with speakers on topics ranging from current trends in corporate responsibility, the value of nonfinancial information to investors and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Representatives from member companies American Express and IBM spoke about corporate responsibility trends and strategies for engagement. Timothy J. McClimon, senior vice president, corporate social responsibility at American Express emphasized employees as key stakeholders in corporate responsibility and the need to for enhanced engagement with the community.

Jennifer Ryan Crozier, vice president, IBM Corporate Citizenship, discussed IBM’s Corporate Service Corps, where IBM teams work on social impact projects globally, while developing leadership and community skills. Crozier also emphasized the importance of connecting day-to-day work with its final social impact. Other member speakers also included representatives from Ernst & Young, and member Verizon served as a Forum sponsor.

USCIB and ILO to Host Event on Promoting Disability Inclusion

Published on June 2, 2017

USCIB has teamed up with the ILO Global Business and Disability Network (GBDN) to host an event in Washington DC for business leaders, “Promoting disability inclusion globally” on June 20 with the aim of supporting companies in increasing their opportunities to promote disability inclusion globally. The event will be hosted by USCIB’s member AT&T and will feature speakers from Deloitte and other USCIB member companies.

The GBDN is a network of multinational enterprises, employers’ organizations, business networks and disabled persons’ organizations who share the conviction that people with disabilities have talents and skills that can enhance virtually any business. The ILO believes ‘Disability Inclusion makes good business sense’.

The event was also featured in a Huffington Post article, “Helping U.S. Based Corporations Join the Global Disability Inclusion Conversations.”

Goldberg Gives Keynote at ILO Women in Business Conference

Published on June 2, 2017
Ronnie Goldberg gives keynote remarks at ILO Women in Business and Management Conference

USCIB Senior Counsel Ronnie Goldberg was a keynote speaker at an ILO Latin American Regional Conference on Women in Business and Management, held on May 23 in Lima, Peru.  Over 300 attendees were drawn from virtually every country of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Goldberg’s speech drew from the findings of a series of  BIAC reports, such as the report on Putting All Our Minds to Work: Harnessing the Gender Dividend and Putting All Our Ideas to Work: Women and Entrepreneurship, that highlight the business case for women’s economic empowerment and identify best practices and practical policy recommendations for advancing women’s roles in the workplace.

Her comments also addressed gender-based challenges to launching and running a business, including access to finance and business networks, as well as cultural and gender bias,  and highlighted  a number of issues and challenges facing women in STEM and information and computer technology (ICT) careers.

Among the Conference speakers was Marcela Esquivel, global director, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy Business Unit, The Coca-Cola Company, who spoke about the company’s robust efforts to promote women internally, and to foster women’s entrepreneurship in its supply chain.

USCIB Statement on U.S. Withdrawal From the Paris Climate Agreement

Published on June 2, 2017

New York, N.Y., June 1, 2017 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB), which represents America’s most successful global companies, issued the following statement on U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement:

“Like many others in the U.S. business community, USCIB is disappointed by the news that the Trump administration has elected to leave the Paris Climate Agreement. In our view, this decision could leave U.S. companies unprotected and exposed to possible discrimination under the Paris Agreement if the U.S. government is not at the table.

“The Paris Agreement is redefining global markets for energy and environmental goods and services, as well as providing major economic stimuli for companies. U.S. energy security and access were never threatened by the Paris Agreement, which allows each national government to define its own climate action plan. Moreover, the U.S. stands to benefit from trade and investment opportunities that the Paris Agreement will set in motion.

“We are interested to learn more about how the U.S. will pursue new arrangements while remaining in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. While it does so, we encourage the U.S. to stay involved on behalf of U.S. economic interests, and to bring U.S. solutions to this crucial global effort. We encourage the administration to reform areas of the UN climate framework toward more fair, transparent and balanced approaches that are responsive to U.S. circumstances and aspirations.

“USCIB members are committed to advancing sustainable development and environmental solutions through international cooperation, and have supported the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement since their inception. Multilateral forums and cooperative approaches are the best way to address the transboundary challenges of energy access and innovation, climate change and sustainable development. In close coordination with our global business partners, including the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the Major Economies Business Forum (BizMEF), USCIB will continue to champion U.S. business interests in the UNFCCC, and will seek opportunities to promote U.S. environment and energy solutions through business engagement and implementation, and to broadly deploy climate-friendly investment and innovation.

“USCIB has represented U.S. business interests in the UN climate negotiations for over 25 years, and during that time has benefited from the diligent efforts of U.S. government representatives at the table to advance and defend U.S. business interests, often under challenging conditions. We express thanks to the current U.S. climate negotiating team, and others with whom we have worked, for their extraordinary efforts on our behalf.”

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. As the U.S. affiliate of several 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 information is available at www.uscib.org.

Contact:
Jonathan Huneke, USCIB
Tel: +1 212 703 5043
jhuneke@uscib.org

OECD Global Forum on Responsible Business Conduct

The Global Forum brings together stakeholders from business, trade unions, civil society and academia to debate key global social and economic challenges related to responsible business conduct.

Reframing Human Rights Symposium

The second annual “Reframing Human Rights Symposium” by Skytop Strategies, hosted by Bard College. This year’s program will assess the connection between human rights, human capital development and operational opportunity for resiliency & ROI. Several USCIB members will be speaking.

UN Business and Human Rights Treaty Webinar

Webinar with Robert McCorquodale (British Institute of International and Comparative Law) and Doug Cassel (Notre Dame Law School) on the UN Business and Human Rights Treaty.

B20-L20 Delivers Joint Statement to G20 Labor Ministers

Published on May 22, 2017

The B20 and L20 presented a joint statement at a G20 labor ministers dinner on May 17 in Bad Neuenahr, Germany which was attended by USCIB Senior Counsel Ronnie Goldberg. Linda Kromjong, IOE’s secretary general and Sharan Burrow, ITUC’s secretary general, jointly presented the statement to the ministers and all B20 and L20 signatories at the handover ceremony  to German Federal Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Andrea Nahles.

This year’s statement builds on the IOE/BIAC and ITUC/TUAC statement from last year with a specific focus on sustainable growth, decent work and social cohesion in the digital economy.

In line with the key priorities of the G20 German presidency, the statement reinforces the important role that business and labor have in shaping policies that not only maximize the opportunities for employment creation, but that also minimize adverse effects on employment and working conditions. Given the special focus on the digital economy, the recommendations in the statement are linked to the impact of technological change on employment and call on governments to grab the chances that technological change presents as well as address its challenges.

To harness the opportunities of technological advancements, it is important that technology is widely diffused so that businesses can maximize the potential of its use. This will facilitate the creation of an agile business environment that can offer growth of income opportunities in all of its forms in the formal economy.

Going forward, the workforce using new technology needs to be well equipped for the new digital age. This requires taking a fresh approach to education, up- and re-skilling and ensuring that all individuals have access to opportunities that allow them to continually upgrade their skills. The B20/L20 joint understanding on key elements of quality apprenticeships, the G20 Skills Strategy as well as the G20 Apprenticeship Initiative clearly have a key role to play in modernizing existing training systems.

Countdown to UN High-Level Political Forum: Ending Hunger, SDG 2

Published on May 22, 2017

This year’s United Nations High-Level Political Forum (UN HLPF) on sustainable development will be held from July 10-17 under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council. The theme for the forum will be “Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world” focusing in part on Sustainable Development Goal 2: ending hunger and ensuring access by all people to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round.

As part of USCIB’s countdown to the UN HLPF, USCIB is highlighting some initiatives that its member companies are working on to end poverty in all its forms, while subsequently meeting the SDG targets set by the UN. These examples can be found on USCIB’s Business for 2030 website. An impactful project to note is one initiative by McDonald’s and Sustainable Coffee. McDonald’s supports sustainable agricultural production at every aspect of the supply chain. Teaming up with the international non-profit TechnoServe and the Sustainable Commodities Assistance Network (SCAN), McDonald’s trains 13,000 farmers in Guatemala and Central America to produce coffee more sustainably while simultaneously increasing crop yields. This added technical assistance will help strengthen the local economy, improving the lives of many smallholders.

Tune in for next week, when we will highlight company initiatives on Goal 3: ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages.

ECOSOC Financing for Development Follow-up

This event brings together large numbers of high-level participants to review progress on the Addis Ababa Action Agenda agreed in 2015. The 2016 Forum resulted in conclusions and recommendations that were included in the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development