BASCAP Steering Committee

BASCAP Steering Committee meeting.

USCIB Welcomes Michael Michener as Vice President of Product Policy and Innovation

Published on February 21, 2017

New York, N.Y., February 21, 2017 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) announced that Michael Michener, a former administrator of the U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service who has also served as a U.S. trade diplomat and association executive, has joined USCIB’s staff as vice president of product policy and innovation.

Working out of USCIB’s Washington, D.C. office, Michener will lead the organization’s policy work on chemicals, health, food, agriculture and intellectual property. He will also coordinate USCIB’s engagement in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.

“Mike brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to USCIB, especially his background in working with international organizations, that will contribute greatly to our efforts on behalf of members,” said Rob Mulligan, USCIB’s senior vice president for policy and government relations. “We are excited to have him join our team at a time when the policy and regulatory challenges facing American companies are complex and growing.”

Michener most recently served in Brussels as director of multilateral relations for CropLife International, representing the association before a range of international organizations – including the UN Food and Agricultural Organization, the UN Environment Program and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change – on issues related to crop protection products and agriculture biotechnology.

Previously Michener served with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in two different roles. First, as administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service, he managed 1,100 employees and an annual operating budget of $300 million. Then, as minister counselor at the U.S. Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome, he served as the special representative of the U.S. secretary of agriculture to UN bodies dealing with food and agricultural issues.

Michener has also worked with the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Agency for International Development, and he served with the United States Army for seven years in Europe. Michener earned a master’s degree in public administration from Bowie State University and a bachelor’s degree East European studies from the University of Maryland.

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 the International Chamber of Commerce, the International Organization of Employers and the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More at www.uscib.org.

ICC Commission on Intellectual Property

ICC Commission on Intellectual Property Meeting in London, England.

USCIB’s Medina Leads Discussion at ChemCon 2016

Published on October 24, 2016

USCIB Vice President Helen Media — USCIB Vice President Helen Medina

Facing increasing demands around the world to divulge details of their supply chains and production processes, how much information can (and should) companies share regarding the chemicals used in their products?

USCIB Vice President Helen Medina led a discussion of this topic at this week’s ChemCon Americas 2016 conference in Toronto. Chairing a panel on “Global Supply Chain Transparency & Stakeholders,” Medina noted the numerous efforts by governments and international bodies to promote greater disclosure by companies.

“There is increased societal pressure for the ‘right to know’ concept,” Medina stated. “What’s more, companies are facing market and stakeholder pressure to ‘green’ their supply chains as a way to improve their corporate citizenship profile.”

Others speaking on Medina’s panel included Mark Herwig (GE), Sophia Danenberg (Boeing), Wendy Brant (Walmart) and Scott Echols (ZDHC Foundation).

Medina said that policy makers in many countries and regions are expanding their concept of risk in chemicals, to encompass not just the materials in a given product but also how they are used. In addition, they are increasingly requiring information to understand chemical risks throughout a products entire life cycle.

Highlighting numerous inter-governmental efforts to promote transparency on chemicals use, Medina cited the UN Sustainable Development Goals, where Goal 12 sets out to “achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.”

This focus has migrated into various other discussions in the UN system and elsewhere, Media said. She urged companies of all sizes to pay greater attention to these discussions, which she said would influence national laws and rule-making on chemicals for years to come.

Business Presents Views on Health and Innovation to OECD

Published on October 21, 2016

USCIB's Helen Medina (center) and other members of the BIAC Health Committee — USCIB’s Helen Medina (center) and other members of the BIAC Health Committee

Ahead of a key OECD health ministerial in January, 10 private-sector health policy experts, including USCIB Vice President Helen Medina, met in Paris last week for the BIAC (Business at OECD) Health Committee, took part in a key OECD meeting on “The Economics of Prevention,” and exchanged views on health and innovation policy with selected permanent delegations to the OECD.

With several governments contemplating heavy-handed labeling and marketing restrictions on foods they deem unhealthy, the industry experts sought to underscore how much industry has done to address the health impacts of its products as well as consumer lifestyle choices.

“The fact is, industry has made robust commitments on marketing and advertising, and has reformulated products in response to public concerns about health,” said Medina. “Our goal is to ensure that industry can continue to innovate and contribute to healthy diets while continuing to provide a range of choices for consumers.”

Other BIAC experts emphasized that industry is not afraid of regulation, but wants governments to support research and innovation policies, which would also help smaller companies. They asked OECD governments to consider ways to improve the base of evidence regarding effective disease prevention tools and other interventions. There is a need, they said, for nutritional data and for an integrative comprehensive approach to foster healthy choices, lifestyles and sustainable diets.

The group held bilateral meetings with OECD missions including the United States, Australia and the Czech Republic.

USCIB Intellectual Property Committee Meeting

Quarterly USCIB IP Committee Meeting. This meeting is for USCIB Members only. For more information, please contact Kira Yevtukhova (kyevtukhova@uscib.org).

ICC & USCIB Commission on Intellectual Property Meetings

ICC and USCIB is hosting the Commission on Intellectual Property Meetings to explore current challenges faced by innovators and creators, and discuss solutions to better leverage intellectual property as a tool for economic growth and employment. These topics will be explored through panels, case studies and roundtable discussions.

New ICC Report Sheds Light on How to Combat Counterfeit Products

Published on March 27, 2015

The Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP) initiative – a project of the International Chamber of Commerce – released a study outlining the steps that intermediaries can take to help keep fake and pirated products out of the supply chain and off the Internet.

The report, “Roles and responsibilities of intermediaries: Fighting counterfeiting and piracy in the supply chain,” looks at key intermediaries in the physical world and those providing infrastructure and services online, yielding the most comprehensive review to date of the many types of intermediary channels that are being utilized by criminal networks to sell and distribute fakes and pirated content.

“Trade is being revolutionized by the emergence of integrated global value chains and the explosion of online commerce,” said Jeff Hardy, director of BASCAP.

Hardy added: “Intermediaries – from express shipping firms through to online search engines – are now a central part of the global economy. This is an overwhelmingly positive development, but intermediaries must ensure they have adequate systems in place to address growing counterfeiting and piracy risks.”

Southeast Asia Tanker Hijacks Rose Despite Global Drop in Sea Piracy

Published on January 23, 2015

Attacks against small tankers off Southeast Asia’s coasts caused a rise in global ship hijackings, up to 21 in 2014 from 12 in 2013, despite piracy at sea falling to its lowest level in eight years, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has revealed. Pirates took 442 crewmembers hostage, compared with 304 in 2013.

IMB’s annual piracy report shows 245 incidents were recorded worldwide in 2014 – a 44% drop since Somali piracy peaked in 2011. Somali pirates were responsible for 11 attacks, all of which were thwarted. However, IMB warns shipmasters to follow the industry’s Best Management Practices, as the threat of Somali piracy has not been eliminated.

Worldwide, 21 vessels were hijacked last year, 183 were boarded, and 13 fired upon. Pirates killed four crewmembers, injured 13 and kidnapped nine from their vessels.

“The global increase in hijackings is due to a rise in attacks against coastal tankers in Southeast Asia,” said Pottengal Mukundan, director of IMB whose Piracy Reporting Centre has monitored world piracy since 1991. “Gangs of armed thieves have attacked small tankers in the region for their cargoes, many looking specifically for marine diesel and gas oil to steal and then sell.”

Citing the death of one crewmember shot on his bitumen tanker in December, the IMB report highlights the possibility of the hijackings becoming increasingly violent. Most of the 124 attacks in the region were aimed at low-level theft from vessels using guns and long knives.

IMB offers the latest piracy reports free of charge. To request a PDF version of the report by email, please click here.

Innovation Recognized as Key for Economic Growth

Published on July 22, 2014

“The innovation sector has the largest multiplier effect of all on job creation,” said John Danilovich, secretary general of the International Chamber of Commerce, at a Business 20 panel discussion in Sydney, Australia. At the panel he unveiled the 7^th edition of the Global Innovation Index 2014 and addressed how G20 targets can be fulfilled by developing the knowledge and innovation sectors.

A leading reference on innovation, the Global Innovation Index ranks world economies according to innovation capabilities and results. This year’s theme, “Human Factor in Innovation,” explored the role of individuals and teams behind the innovation process. The 2014 index features data for 143 countries, with Switzerland at the top of the ranking and the United Kingdom in second place.

“The G20 is looking for all possible drivers of economic growth, including trade and investment in particular.” Danilovich said. “Innovation is a critical engine of business growth and job creation in large and small firms alike.”

Danilovch also stressed the importance of business to support innovation: “Business investment in knowledge-based capital makes a considerable contribution to productivity.” He said. “Market competition requires companies to innovate. The private sector can be a key partner in helping governments find solutions to development challenges, and can accelerate the achievement of core development objectives.”

ICC is actively engaged in encouraging innovation and the development of the knowledge economy through the work of its Commission on Intellectual Property. The commission gathers over 300 business executives and private practitioners from 50 countries to formulate ICC’s intellectual property policy.

On a related note, USCIB’s next Intellectual Property Committee meeting will be held at USCIB’s Washington, D.C. offices on September 11 from 10-12 p.m.