Norine Kennedy Archives

Translating Vision Into Action at the Halfway Point: Business for the 2030 Agenda

Published on October 19, 2023
Norine Kennedy

Blog Post by USCIB SVP Norine Kennedy

October 19, 2023

Last month in New York, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) witnessed unprecedented participation, with 40,000 attendees and over 2,000 bilateral meetings. A gathering with over 13,000 country delegates, and 2,600 members of the media registered for the general debate and its more than 500 affiliated events. Among the events was the SDG Action Weekend, marking a positive (but overdue) shift towards a more inclusive UN engaging the wide array of important non-governmental entities essential to implementation.

The private sector played a significant role, emphasizing its contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (#SDGs). The USCIB UNGA78 High-Level Business Roundtable highlighted the private sector’s role in shared prosperity and sustainability.  Given that as the Major Groups and Stakeholders stated so clearly in their SDG weekend event, the international community is “halfway there, but nowhere near” to the 2030 Agenda, USCIB’s Moving the Needle (MTN) initiative is shining a spotlight on the “what” and “how” of partnering for impact with business.

On September 18, MTN introduced two solutions-oriented reports: ‘Roadmap for Results’ and ‘Business & the UN 2.0.’ These reports offer tools, approaches, and partnerships for translating vision into tangible progress, working with and through the multilateral system to address multiple challenges.  Read together, they offer ideas to strengthen the UN, helping it become more effective, resilient, inclusive, and transparent.

‘Business & the UN 2.0’ highlights an enhanced win-win partnership between businesses and the UN. It recognizes the massive investment required for the 2030 agenda, estimated at $5-7 trillion annually, with the potential to unlock $12 trillion in market prospects.

Based on its decades of experience as a responsible actor in inter-governmental forums, MTN envisions a revitalized UN system with private sector involvement at every level, from shaping agendas to crisis management.

‘Roadmap for Results’ emphasizes private sector involvement beyond financing, spotlighting private sector innovation, scalability, leadership, and communication to accelerate action. Sustainability metrics, data analytics, AI and partnerships are a few private sector tools to catalyze SDG progress. The report discusses where public-private partnerships can advance science and solidarity as key to achieving the 2030 Agenda.

With the UN Summit of the Future a year away, USCIB’s MTN initiative continues to make the case for closer connections and alliances with business in an international community that is being pulled apart by geo-political, economic and domestic forces.  The time to move the needle is now.

Visit our MTN webpage to access the two reports.

Translating Sustainability Vision Into SDG Action at the Halfway Point: Business for the 2030 Agenda 

Published on October 12, 2023

Last month in New York, the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA78) witnessed unprecedented participation with 40,000 attendees and over 2,000 bilateral meetings. Over 13,000 country delegates and 2,600 members of the media registered for the general debate and over 500 affiliated events1. Among the main events was the UN’s first-ever SDG Action Weekend, which marked a positive (but overdue) shift towards a more inclusive UN, providing a recognized space for the wide array of important non-governmental entities essential to implementation.  

The private sector played a significant role throughout UNGA78, emphasizing its contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). USCIB’s UNGA78 High-Level Business Roundtable highlighted the private sector’s role in shared prosperity and sustainability. USCIB’s Moving the Needle (MTN) initiative shined a spotlight on the “what” and “how” of partnering for impact with business, following clear calls by Major Groups and Stakeholders that the international community is “halfway there, but nowhere near” to the 2030 Agenda. 

On September 18, USCIB launched two MTN solutions-oriented reports: Roadmap for Results and Business & the UN 2.0. These reports describe private sector tools, approaches, and partnerships for translating the 2030 Agenda’s vision into tangible progress, while working with and through the multilateral system to address multiple challenges. Read together, the reports offer ideas to strengthen the UN, helping it become more effective, resilient, inclusive, and transparent. 

Business & the UN 2.0 highlights an enhanced win-win partnership between businesses and the UN. It recognizes the massive investment required for the 2030 agenda, estimated at $5-7 trillion annually, with the potential to unlock $12 trillion in market prospects. 

Citing USCIB’s’ decades of experience as a responsible actor in inter-governmental forums, MTN envisions a revitalized UN system with private sector involvement at every level, from shaping agendas to advancing systems-thinking approaches to responding to natural disasters with the international community. 

Guy Ryder (UN) speaks at the USCIB High Level Roundtable during UNGA78
Guy Ryder (UN)

Roadmap for Results emphasizes private sector involvement beyond financing, spotlighting private sector innovation, scalability, leadership, knowhow and communication to accelerate action. Sustainability metrics, data analytics, AI, and partnerships are but a few private sector tools to catalyze SDG progress. The report discusses where public-private partnerships can advance science and solidarity as key to achieving the 2030 Agenda. 

With the UN Summit of the Future a year away, USCIB’s MTN initiative continues to make the case for closer connections and alliances with business in an international community that is being pulled apart by geo-political, economic, and domestic forces.  The time to move the needle in partnership with business is now. 

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Working Group

Published on June 14, 2023

USCIB supports the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals. As the only U.S. business group with UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) NGO observer status, USCIB brings the voice of U.S. business to key UN deliberations pertaining to sustainability, working closely with its global sister business organizations, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the International Organization of Employers (IOE).

The SDG Working Group informs UN policy deliberations, and facilitates ongoing dialogue with UN officials, U.S. representatives to the UN, as well as other governmental representatives, business organizations and key stakeholders. In addition, it provides a platform for USCIB members to showcase their actions and initiatives to deliver the SDGs, through side events, webinars and active participation at key UN meetings and deliberations at the UN in New York and elsewhere around the globe.

Objectives:

USCIB’s SDG Working Group invites member participation from all sustainability related USCIB Policy Committees, including the Environment Committee and the Corporate Responsibility and Labor Affairs Committee.

The SDG Working Group:

  • Advocates balanced economic, environmental and social policy frameworks to deliver the SDGs, mobilizing public private partnerships, and enhancing meaningful and substantive engagement of the private sector.
  • Calls for inclusive multilateralism that provides transparent and meaningful opportunities for all sectors of business to contribute to scientific assessment, inform policy deliberations, and track, measure and improve implementation.
  • Monitors and weighs in on business relevant UN deliberations under the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with a focus on where business helps advance the SDGs.
  • Provides U.S. business views and involvement in relevant UN meetings, such as UN ECOSOC Partnership Forum, Science, Technology and Innovation Forum and Financing for Development meetings, leading up to the annual UN High Level Political Forum and the opening weeks of the UN General Assembly.
  • Highlights U.S. business initiatives to integrate and deliver the SDGs, through official side events, high-level business dialogues, and other events.

Priorities for 2021 – 2022

The primary focus of UN discussions will continue to be on pandemic response and recovery, as the entire organization turns its attention to tackling thus multi-dimensional crisis, and develops proposals for integrated actions to “build back better.” Increasingly, UN institutions.
Other major developments in 2021 – 2022 include UN wide efforts to accelerate implementation of the SDGs and get back on track to meet 2030 targets, and follow-up from the UN General Assembly UN75 Global Dialogue, setting into motion consideration of options to make the UN more meaningful and responsive to current and future challenges.

USCIB’s SDG Group will continue to:

  • Express business views in favor of good governance and rule of law, enabling frameworks for private sector infrastructure investment and innovation, and the importance of rigorous metrics and indicators to track progress in SDG implementation.
  • Draw attention to the role of the private sector in converging pandemic recovery and sustainability action, and shine a spotlight on public private partnerships with and through the UN system.
  • Inform the review of both the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the HLPF, with a view to strengthening their effectiveness in advancing the 2030 Global Goals.
  • Work with USCIB All In UN75 initiative and other business partners to make the case for inclusive multilateralism and public private sector partnerships with and through the United Nations.
  • Maintain close cooperation with U.S. Missions to the UN in New York and Geneva to advance enabling frameworks for private sector solutions and engagement across the 17 SDGs.
  • Continue to support of the Business and Industry Major Group as a recognized constituency in the United Nations in New York, for which USCIB serves as a co-chair.

Background

Launched in 2015, the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals represented a global consensus blueprint, setting out 17 goals and 169 targets for sustainability by 2030. The SDGs were developed in an inclusive series of meetings that sought and included input from non-governmental interests, and USCIB was able to observe and feed in its members’ views in the process – especially in including economic, job creation, partnership and good governance as integral elements of the SDGs and UN 2030 Agenda. USCIB has also represented its members in every meeting of the UN High Level Political Forum, the specific UN body that reviews national actions and seeks to strengthen implementation of the SDGs.

USCIB on LinkedIn

Chair

Dr. Alejandra Castro
Global Head, Partnerships – International Organizations, Bayer

Staff

Ewa Staworzynska
Director, Corporate Responsibility and Labor Affairs
212-703-5056 or at ewa@uscib.org

 _

Agnes Vinblad
Director, Environment and Sustainable Development
212-703-5082 or avinblad@uscib.org

 

Environment

Published on June 14, 2023

Committee Mission Statement:

USCIB’s Environment Committee is member-driven, benefitting from the involvement of member experts across a range of key sectors, business topics and responsibilities. The Committee emphasizes the economic, competitiveness, market access and employment benefits that are enabled by sound global environmental rules and international cooperation with U.S. Business, with dedication to achieve win-win outcomes and lasting impact.

USCIB’s Environment Committee represents U.S. Business in the global multilateral arena, providing multi-sectoral business solutions, views, expertise, and actions in international environmental policy deliberations.  As the premier representative of American business, USCIB is the only U.S. business group with Special Consultative Status to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), additionally, USCIB hold official observer status at the UNFCCC, the UN CBD and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Combining this unique access and convening power with its in-house policy expertise, USCIB’s Environment Committee is well-positioned to champion U.S. business interests in a wide range of international policy forums.

The Committee promotes appropriate environmental protection and energy security integrated with open trade, investment, and inclusive economic growth. USCIB calls for enabling frameworks for private sector investment, action, collaboration, and innovation as essential for environmental stewardship and good practice. In representing U.S. Business, USCIB pursues ongoing dialogue with UN officials and the Administration, as well as with other stakeholders.

 

 

 

Trends and Challenges in Environmental Policy Debates:

  • The Paris Agreement, the United Nations 2030 Development Agenda, and the UN Environment Program’s (UNEP) Environment Assembly are reshaping the rules for international commerce and will have a lasting regulatory and reputational impact for US business, affecting market access and investment. Emerging issues, including linkages between international health and environmental policy, have the potential to re-open established policies and practices and could lead to higher costs and other burdens.
  • Rights-based approaches to environmental matters will be part of a proposed Global Pact for Environment, to be launched by the UN and with a potentially broad scope of environmental issues within its mandate for negotiations ahead.
  • Business requires enabling frameworks for investment, action, collaboration and innovation when it comes to promoting environmental stewardship and good practice.

USCIB’s Response:

  • Advocate across multiple channels to establish a recognized business channel into the UNFCCC process, as well as to other UN forums tasked with environment and sustainable development policy. Intergovernmental environmental initiatives will not work if they don’t work with, and for, the private sector, especially since business is expected to support, finance and report on progress.
  • Argue for open markets for trade and investment and IPR protection as essential prerequisites to enable the private sector to provide the innovation, technology and finances needed for international cooperation on climate change and other transboundary environmental issues agreement.
  • Lead a campaign in DC and across multiple UN forums to make the case for inclusion of U.S. business positions and technical input relating to climate change and sustainable development discussions at the following forums:
    • At the UN, where we have official observer status at the UNFCCC, ECOSOC and UNEP
    • At the Major Economies Business Forum (BizMEF), where we are forging stronger links between the business communities of the major emitting countries
    • In Washington, where we are advocating directly to the U.S. government
    • OECD
    • Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM)

Magnifying Your Voice with USCIB:

  • USCIB is the only U.S. business association formally affiliated with the world’s three largest business organizations where we work with business leaders across the globe to extend our reach to influence policymakers in key international markets to American business
  • Build consensus with like-minded industry peers and participate in off-the-record briefings with policymakers both home and abroad.

USCIB on LinkedIn

Vice Chairs

Paul Hagen
Director
Beveridge & Diamond, PC

Catherine McKalip-Thompson
Manager of Sustainability, Infrastructure
Bechtel Corporation

Justin Perrettson
Head of Sustainability Partnerships, Scouting & Ventures
Novonesis

Staff

Agnes Vinblad
Director, Environment and Sustainable Development
212-703-5082 or avinblad@uscib.org

 

USCIB at UNGA77: Perspectives and Summary of Key Events

Published on September 30, 2022

As the United Nations opened its 77th Session of the General Assembly, USCIB was on hand to inform the deliberations.  USCIB convened several high-level meetings, which delivered impactful and informative dialogues and practical next steps.  Throughout, USCIB highlighted the private sector’s commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UN Secretary General’s visionary Our Common Agenda, and to effective and resilient multilateral institutions, led by the UN. Below, we are pleased to share perspectives by USCIB’s leadership—USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson and USCIB Board of Trustees’ Sustainability Champion and Novozymes CEO Ester Baiget—on UNGA77 and the private sector’s role, as well as summaries of USCIB events during UNGA77. Finally, we also include a look-ahead at USCIB’s ambitious plan for UN engagement and advocacy for 2023 and beyond by USCIB SVP Norine Kennedy.

Table of Contents:
  1. USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson shares his perspectives on UNGA77 opening
  2. Statement by USCIB Board of Trustee’s Sustainability Champion and Novozymes CEO Ester Baiget
  3. USCIB Launches New Initiative Moving the Needle (MTN): Advancing our Common Agenda with Business
  4. High-Level Business Roundtable on Achieving Ambition and Action Across the Life Cycle of Plastic Pollution
  5. IOE-SHRM-USCIB Global Business Town Hall: A Business Agenda for Action, A Human-Centric Approach
  6. USCIB Hosts Centro Regional del Sector Privada (CR/SP) for a CEO Discussion of SDGs and Supply Chains
  7. Looking ahead to 2023 and beyond by USCIB Senior Vice President for Policy and Global Strategy Norine Kennedy
Peter Robinson
Peter Robinson shares perspectives on UNGA77 opening

No longer on the Sidelines, Committed Business Part of the Main Event during the 2022 UNGA Opening Week

Since its inception, the annual UN General Assembly High-Level opening in New York has provided a platform for world leaders to declare their shared aspirations for the future, and earlier this month, it returned in person for the first time since the pandemic shutdown.  Even during these challenging times, UNGA opening continues to be a show of solidarity where willing nations work together on world problems, despite the diversity of views and realities.  In addition to government representatives, the annual UNGA gathering has provided an opportunity to forge collaborations for action with non-state actors.

When it comes to such collaborations for action, the landscape for UNGA opening has dramatically changed, especially since the introduction of the 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement. There is increasing interest from stakeholders across the board to actively engage, not just in side-meetings, but in the room and at the table – civil society, business, academia among many others.

If we take a step back and consider what this increasingly mainstreamed presence of representatives of the private sector and civil society really means, it is a testament to what the UN has achieved: it has succeeded in raising awareness and sparking commitment, notably from business (and other societal partners) around issues beyond “just talk.” Sustainability considerations across the entire spectrum of SDGs are now integrated into business strategies, targets and objectives.

The perfect formula for success in international cooperation has not yet been discovered.  There is room to improve, but an overabundance of good will is not a bad problem to have, especially in light of recent disruptive events.  That is why USCIB launched its campaign “Moving the Needle: Advancing Our Common Agenda With Business.” This campaign will advance practical private sector solutions, tools, resources and partnerships across the UNGA 77th session’s thematic pillars: Sustainability, Science and Solidarity.

The UN Secretary-General has stated that the international community faces a momentous choice: “will we break through or break down?” This question is more urgent than ever and a strong, resilient and inclusive UN is essential to that breakthrough. For all the challenges that the UN faces, there is no other institution that can bring together 193 countries alongside other non-governmental interests to advance shared goals and objectives towards a better future, and there is no more necessary partner than the business community.   

Business is ready to work with the UN. Why? Because the UN’s success and resilience are critical to the private sector’s ability to operate, create jobs, mobilize resources, and deploy solutions. Time and again, business has leaned into international cooperation for our shared interest. As the only U.S. business group in consultative standing to the UN ECOSOC, USCIB is dedicated to inclusive practical multilateralism, involving business for impact. No longer a side show, the business community is committed to do its part, working with and through the UN system, towards the UN Summits for SDGs in 2023 and for the Future in 2024.

Statement by USCIB Board of Trustees Sustainability Champion and CEO, Novozymes Ester Baiget:

USCIB has released a statement by Ester Baiget, chief executive officer of Novozymes and USCIB Board of Trustees Sustainability Champion.

We are inspired by the UN Secretary General’s Report, Our Common Agenda, and embrace its objective to supercharge implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its innovative ideas for action.  We share the concern of lost progress towards the objectives of the SDGs, and see the urgency of pursuing systemwide change to tackle climate change, plastics pollution and threats to biodiversity.

 

USCIB Launches New Initiative: Moving the Needle (MTN): Advancing Our Common Agenda with Business – September 15
L-R: HE Ambassador Chris Lu and Peter Robinson

On Thursday, September 15, USCIB launched its new initiative called “Moving the Needle (MTN): Advancing Our Common Agenda with Business” with a first roundtable focused on “Tracking Progress, Identifying Gaps.” The session highlighted business innovation, initiatives and partnerships related to information, data and metrics relevant to accelerate the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and delivering on proposals laid out in the UN Secretary-General’s report, Our Common Agenda (OCA). USCIB member Microsoft generously hosted the event at Microsoft UN Affairs Offices located at One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza in New York. High-level speakers included the new President of the UN General Assembly (PGA) H.E. Ambassador Csaba Korosi, President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) H.E. Ambassador Lachezara Stoeva, as well as U.S. Representative for UN Management and Reform H.E. Ambassador Chris Lu. The main panel featured speakers from USCIB members Deloitte, LinkedIn, Google and RELX who shared their perspective on practical private sector approaches that can fast track the SDGs to accomplish key OCA proposals.

MTN will result in a white paper titled “Business and the UN 2.0,” that will offer proposals on how to enhance private sector interfaces with the UN as integral to practical, networked and inclusive multilateralism. For more information, and to express interest to contribute to the white paper, please contact Agnes Vinblad at avinblad@uscib.org

High-Level Business Roundtable on Achieving Ambition and Action Across the Life Cycle of Plastic Pollution – September 16

On Friday, September 16, USCIB, with the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) and American Chemistry Council (ACC), convened a High-Level Business Roundtable on Achieving Ambition and Action Across the Life Cycle of Plastic Pollution. This off-the-record roundtable focused on how business can play an active and supportive role in the development and deliberations of a legally binding international agreement on plastics pollution, which will begin to be negotiated in November of this year. CEO’s and C-suite executives were able to exchange views with UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Inger Andersen, as well as Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Monica Medina. This roundtable was complemented by a limited industry roundtable organized by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) the following Monday, September 18.

USCIB will continue to engage in these negotiating processes and will be on the ground for INC-1 in Uruguay. For more information, contact Chris Olsen at colsen@uscib.org

IOE-SHRM-USCIB Global Business Town Hall: A Business Agenda for Action, A Human-Centric Approach – September 21
Emily Dickens (SHRM)

On Wednesday, September 21, USCIB joined with partners, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the International Organization of Employers (IOE), to hold a Global Business Town Hall. The Town Hall, attended by nearly 300 people from across 44 countries, tackled some of pressing priorities outlined in the UN Secretary General’s report Our Common Agenda, which seeks to foster a human-centric recovery for the global workforce in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Panels centered around four critical areas from Our Common Agenda, including resetting the multilateral system, rethinking education to close the skills gap, reforming global response to future health crises, and reinforcing human rights through the role of governance and the rule of law. Other high-level speakers and panelists included International Labor Organization (ILO) Director-General Elect Gilbert Houngbo, UN DESA Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development Navid Hanif, IOE Secretary-General Roberto Suarez Santos, President UN Human Rights Council Federico Villegas, and SHRM Chief of Staff, Head of Government Affairs and Corporate Secretary Emily M. Dickens, who served as keynote, and USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson who gave concluding remarks.

This town hall was a second in a series, following one organized by USCIB, SHRM and IOE during the UN High-Level Political Forum in July.

USCIB Hosts Centro Regional del Sector Privada (CR/SP) for a CEO Discussion of SDGs and Supply Chains

USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson welcomed a group of CEOs and UN and business leaders to USCIB offices on September 20 to focus on the relationship and synergy between the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and business supply chains.

Lead-off presentations from UN Assistant Secretary General Nikhil Seth, Executive Director of the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), and U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte, former U.S. Representative to the UN, and former Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans, Environment and International Science, highlighted the importance of business in advancing the SDGs, which have demonstrated noteworthy staying power, and have taken on even greater relevance than when they were developed and agreed in 2015.

Subsequent presentations from C-suite representatives of AB InBev, Enel, Millicom Tigo and Walmart provided examples of initiatives to promote circular economy, economic empowerment and inclusion and climate-friendly SDG-oriented energy investments both in the Latin American region and globally.

Based in Colombia, CR/SP is an UN-private sector initiative launched in 2009 to build Latin American capacity and strengthen the pursuit of sustainable development action in the Latam region in line with the SDGs and through the active engagement of the private sector.

Looking Ahead: Norine Kennedy, USCIB SVP, Policy and Global Strategy
Norine Kennedy

The UNGA opening week may be over, but the work is just getting underway. USCIB’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Working Group will again be following and weighing in with USCIB members’ views on UN deliberations, including the customary suite of SDG-related sessions:

In 2023: 

  • The ECOSOC Partnerships Forum
  • The UN Multistakeholder Science, Technology and Innovation Forum
  • The Finance for Development Forum (FFD)
  • The UN High-Level Political Forum

In addition, USCIB will be tracking and informing further work on recommendations set out in the UN Secretary General’s Report, “Our Common Agenda.”

We will also follow and bring the voice and engagement of our members to preparations for influential mandated UN meetings and summits taking place in 2023 – 2024, including: 

  • The 5th UN Conference on Least Developed Countries (LDCs)
  • UN High-Level Dialogue on FFD
  • UN High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage
  • UN High-Level Meeting on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response
  • Preparatory Ministerial for the Summit of the Future
  • The UN SDG Summit
  • The UN Summit for the Future

USCIB Represents U.S. Business at United Nations Preparatory Meetings on COP27

Published on June 21, 2022

The United Nations concluded two weeks of preparatory meetings in advance of the next Climate Summit, known as COP27, which will be held November 8-18 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.  As the first official negotiations since Glasgow in 2021, this meeting brought all UN member states, UN bodies, business and other groups to discuss urgently accelerating implementation of the Paris Agreement.

According to USCIB Senior Vice President for Policy and Global Strategy Norine Kennedy, who was on the ground representing U.S. business, the intense session included special presentations of the most recent scientific findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and technical roundtables under the “global stock take,” which will assess the need for and degree of additional greenhouse gas emissions reductions required to keep global temperature rise well below 2 degrees C. The session also took up further development of “Article 6” measures to allow carbon trading and offsets under the Paris Agreement. Working on the ground with Kennedy was also USCIB Policy and Program Associate for Sustainability, Agnes Vinblad.

In addition, new attention is now being directed toward the private sector with respect to voluntary pledges and initiatives, such as those announced last year at the Glasgow Summit. The UN Secretary General and the UNFCCC High Level Champions have each recently announced new initiatives to review such voluntary announcements to ensure they are being put into practice.

At a meeting with members of the U.S. Government delegation at Bonn, Co-Chair of the USCIB Environment Committee Justin Perrettson (Novozymes) called out the “importance of private sector innovation to tackle the inter-linked challenges of climate change, food security and energy transitions,” and went on to highlight the need to include business in the implementation phase of the Convention.

The most contentious issues in Bonn concerned mobilizing financial resources for adaptation to impacts of climate change, and the establishment of a fund to provide compensation for loss and damage caused by climate change.

As the host of COP27, Egypt is expected to place particular emphasis on food and water security, just transition, and adaptation for resilience. The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), serving as the official focal point for business in the UNFCCC, has already begun dialogue with Egyptian government authorities on key topics relating to carbon markets, the role of SMEs and ways to further increase ambition across private and public sectors.

Climate Change & Energy

Published on May 20, 2022

Trends and Challenges Facing U.S. Business:

  • The Paris Climate Agreement builds on UN member countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions, or pledges, in which nearly all countries have committed to lowering greenhouse gas emissions along with other steps in coming years, looking ahead to 2030. However, current national pledges will not deliver necessary reductions to limit anticipated climate change, and pressure is mounting on all countries to take more ambitious action and mobilize public and private resources. In this connection, the right frameworks for transparency to ensure countries are taking the actions pledged will be critical.
  • While business action and technical knowledge is more important than ever, some governments have called for limiting or banning business involvement in the UN climate deliberations. In the absence of a recognized channel for business expertise and engagement in this complex UN structure, neither countries nor the global community will be able to catalyze the needed actions, investments and innovations in the absence of enhanced substantive and technical involvement of business.
  • The Paris Agreement impacts global markets and, subsequently U.S. business, including emissions trading and carbon pricing, trade measures and barriers as result of the “unlevel” playing field resulting from diverse national pledges.
  • US companies continue to face uncertainty and challenges in terms of costs and security of energy access and mix; the OECD and IEA continue to provide analysis and scenarios relating to expected and needed energy infrastructure investment.

 

USCIB’s Response:

  • Encourage the US to stay actively involved in the UN climate treaty, and to remain in the Paris Agreement, to defend and advance US economic interests, and to fight against proposals that would undermine US competitiveness, or block business involvement in the UNFCCC.
  • Seek opportunities to design international climate cooperation that works with markets and business to deploy investment and innovation and to encourage companies in all sectors to integrate climate mitigation into their activities, supply and value chains.
  • Work with members to dialogue with foreign governments and UN officials on the private sector’s expertise in measuring, reporting and verification—essential to assess countries’ comparative efforts on climate change policy.
  • Advocates for appropriate regulatory frameworks to protect investments in green technology and deploy technology through trade and commercial transactions.
  • Advocate that UN negotiations must not give rise to barriers to trade and investment or overlook the role financial institutions play in the UN’s efforts to mobilize funds for climate action. In fact, trade encourages climate-friendly investments and broad dissemination of cleaner technologies and energy sources.
  • Highlight and communicate U.S. business expertise and views on more accessible, affordable and cleaner energy systems in the context of environmental risks, climate change considerations, economic growth and free and open markets in international policy deliberations.
  • Promote global energy systems that allow U.S. companies to compete and flourish, to develop and disseminate more sustainable and efficient energy systems and technologies and to manage and improve energy use, conservation and environmental/social impacts, in line with SDG7.
  • Encourage integration of international energy policy issues across other policy areas: promoting enabling frameworks to encourage investment and innovation while promoting more sustainable and environmentally friendly development and commercial activity.
  • Carbon pricing is an important, but not the only, market-based climate policy tool. Countries have unique economic and energy circumstances and goals, so any such pricing at the international level needs to reflect those realities.

 

Magnifying Your Voice with USCIB:

  • USCIB is the only U.S. business association formally affiliated with the world’s three largest business organizations where we work with business leaders across the globe to extend our reach to influence policymakers in key international markets to American business
  • Build consensus with like-minded industry peers and participate in off-the-record briefings with policymakers both home and abroad.

USCIB on LinkedIn

Vice Chairs

Paul Hagen
Director
Beveridge & Diamond, PC

Catherine McKalip-Thompson
Manager of Sustainability
Bechtel Corporation

Justin Perrettson
Head of Sustainability Partnerships, Scouting & Ventures
Novonesis

Staff

Agnes Vinblad
Director, Environment and Sustainable Development
212-703-5082 or avinblad@uscib.org

 

USCIB On Hand at Historic UN Environment Assembly Launching Global Plastics Pollution Agreement 

Published on March 9, 2022

The United Nations convened the decision-making UN Environment Assembly (UNEA 5.2) in Nairobi, Kenya from February 28 – March 4, hosted at the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).  

At this meeting, which also commemorated the 50th anniversary of UNEP’s founding, government delegations reached agreement on the resolution, End Plastic Pollution: Towards an International Legally Binding Instrument (LBI) which sets into motion an intergovernmental negotiating committee (INC) to develop the LBI by end of 2024. In addition, UNEA agreed to establish a new Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution, which will be developed in negotiations over the next two years, to serve as a trusted source of consensus in these areas, much in the same way that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a recognized source of scientific consensus on climate change.

USCIB Senior Vice President for Policy and Global Strategy Norine Kennedy represented USCIB on the ground during this landmark inter-governmental meeting, involving all 193 UN member states. USCIB advocated the essential role business must play in addressing the triple environmental crisis, considering and reflecting all-of-economy realities.

“For USCIB, enabling private sector innovation will be key in limiting plastic pollution in the environment,” said Kennedy. “To unlock the full potential of U.S. business innovation to tackle plastic pollution and advance circular economy approaches, any agreement on plastic pollution needs to be flexible with a mix of legally binding and non-binding elements.”

USCIB conducted a live briefing for members from Nairobi on March 2 to pass on the most up-to-date developments, focusing on outcomes relevant to business. American Chemistry Council (ACC) Senior Director, Global Plastics Policy Stewart Harris provided insights on the business opportunities and challenges ahead in the development of a legally binding instrument to address global plastic pollution. Harris and Kennedy referenced the USCIB Letter to the Administration, which set out USCIB member priorities to the State Department and EPA.

During the briefing, Harris characterized the plastics pollution negotiating mandate as a good outcome for business and industry, enabling business leadership initiatives while also assessing effectiveness and supply chain impacts of proposed actions. Moreover, the resolutions prioritize flexibility and recognize the need to engage business in the treaty’s development. Kennedy also pointed out critical outcomes in the areas of circular economy and sustainable infrastructure, among others. 

On March 10, USCIB’s Environment Committee will convene a meeting which will include a more detailed briefing on the outcomes of UNEA 5.2 and their implications for U.S. Business.

USCIB Calls for Private Sector Solutions and Engagement at UN Environment Assembly

Published on March 2, 2022

The United Nations is convening a meeting of its central environmental policy body, the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA 5.2) in Nairobi, Kenya from February 28 – March 4. Taking central stage at UNEA is the launch of negotiations towards a legally binding global instrument to tackle plastics pollution. Other expected outcomes include further global decisions on circular economy, green recovery, and a proposed science-policy panel on pollution.    

In a letter to U.S. Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Monica Medina and other Administration decisionmakers, USCIB called for inclusion of private sector expertise and recommendations in the formative stages of that new treaty, which will have supply chain and trade impacts for every industry sector.  

Among several recommendations concerning the expected global plastic pollution agreement, the USCIB letter noted that: “UNEA 5.2 conclusions on plastic pollution should take into account the sectors and supply chains that will be impacted, reflecting potential benefits and challenges. It will be crucial to work closely with experts from the business community to reach an effective and implementable agreement that tackles plastics pollution, promotes innovation and investment, and advances a circular economy.” 

With regard to other expected decisions at the upcoming conference, USCIB encourages UNEA 5.2 conclusions that: “Ensure participation of the private sector and other stakeholders in the development of future UN Environment Programme (UNEP) reports and future work streams, including a potential Science Policy Panel. Any further steps in this area should explicitly include and provide a role for business, and refrain from setting criteria for involvement that effectively disqualify the private sector.”

USCIB Senior Vice President for Policy and Global Strategy Norine Kennedy joined U.S. and global business representatives attending the negotiations in person in Nairobi. Kennedy stated that, “as the international community advances action on the triple environment challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, USCIB believes the private sector is indispensable to successful implementation, and we stand ready to provide business views and technical knowhow to inform these vital deliberations.” 

USCIB Delegation Arrives at Annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26)

Published on November 2, 2021

USCIB member companies and business groups are in Glasgow, Scotland for the next two weeks (October 31- November 12), bringing their commitment, solutions and advice for a successful United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP26).

In its statement to COP26, USCIB called for a transformative next step in the journey of international cooperation to global net zero and shared prosperity in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Ester Baiget
Novozymes President & CEO Ester Baiget

USCIB Trustee and Sustainability Champion Ester Baiget, President and CEO of Novozymes, will join USCIB Senior Vice President Norine Kennedy and other USCIB members at this pivotal international meeting to define coherent and effective policy and market frameworks for an inclusive and sustainable recovery in line with the Paris Agreement.

According to Kennedy, only by working closely with all business sectors on innovation, investment and implementation can the international community deliver the imperatives of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Justin Perrettson

Justin Perrettson, Novozymes, co-chair of the USCIB Environment Committee as well as chair of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Environment and Energy Commission delivered a statement at the COP26 Opening session on behalf of Business and Industry groups attending COP26.