The 7th session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) was convened in Nairobi, Kenya, December 8-12. Agnes Vinblad, Director, Environment and Sustainable Development at USCIB, represented members and led USCIB’s engagement. UNEA is the world’s highest-level decision-making body for matters related to the environment. While not legally binding, UNEA resolutions are highly influential and set priorities for global environmental policies and international environmental law.
Vinblad was also on the ground for the preparatory UNEA meetings, the 7th convening of the Open-Ended Committee of Permanent Representatives (OECPR-7) which took place December 1-5, also in Nairobi.
This year’s Assembly included resolutions on key business-relevant topics such as the environmental sustainability of Artificial Intelligence (AI), sound management of chemicals and waste, the environmental dimensions of antimicrobial resistance, and considerations on how to strengthen international cooperation on the environmentally sound management of minerals and metals.
After lengthy, and at times challenging negotiations, Member States adopted the UNEA-7 Ministerial Declaration, 11 resolutions, and eight decisions.
During the two weeks of meetings, USCIB primarily engaged in negotiations on the environmental sustainability of AI, sound management of chemicals and waste, and the resolution on promoting synergies across multilateral environmental agreements. Vinblad also met bilaterally with several key government representatives, as well as UN officials.
“While there was no official agenda item on the plastic pollution treaty process at UNEA, the topic was well covered across side-events and in bilateral conversations. As a multisectoral business association, UNEA-7 was a great opportunity for us to continue emphasizing US business support for a plastic pollution treaty,” said Vinblad.
On the sidelines of UNEA, Vinblad also represented USCIB as one of the facilitators during a high-level dinner that was organized by Emerging Ag and the Resiliency Global Action Network. Convened under the theme, Advancing Resilience: Multi-Stakeholder Solutions, the dinner included nearly 100 invited senior representatives from across governments, UN agencies, private sector, and civil society.
USCIB co-signed a multi-association letter to the Biden Administration at the end of February strongly opposing the proposed expansion of the WTO TRIPS waiver to cover COVID-19 diagnostics and therapeutics.
New York, N.Y., March 04, 2024—The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) welcomes outcomes from the WTO 13th Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi on two key objectives for U.S. industry: a two-year extension of the moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions and a rejection of efforts to waive intellectual property protections for COVID-19 diagnostics and therapeutics.
The OECD Ministerial Council is taking place June 7-8 under the theme, Securing a Resilient Future: Shared Values and Global Partnerships. In light of the Ministerial, Business at OECD (BIAC) has released a statement to the OECD with insights drawn from the forthcoming 2023 Business at OECD Economic Policy Survey. Some of the themes addressed in BIAC’s insights include business concerns about the war in Ukraine, which has exacerbated inflation rate developments, labor shortages and energy prices. BIAC also raises concerns about supply chains disruptions, the need for structural reforms around infrastructure, digitalization, regulatory burdens and green transition.
New York, N.Y., November 28, 2022—Today, the USCIB Foundation launched the ‘There’s More To Be Done’ Campaign, an initiative that seeks to maintain workplace wellbeing. Employers can encourage vaccination for COVID19 and other preventable illness by informing and educating employees on the benefit of vaccination. ‘There’s More To Be Done’ is a global movement of employers and is part of the Business Partners to CONVINCE initiative, which seeks to empower a “vaccine-literate” public.