WHAT’S AT STAKE FOR BUSINESS

Illicit trade is a serious threat that feeds a booming multi-trillion-dollar global illegal economy and harms every market, puts public health and safety at risk, and upends the rule of law and investment climate. It is a threat multiplier that helps fuel transnational crime, corruption, and greater insecurity and instability around the world. Illicit trade results in:

• Lost revenue and market share;
• Intellectual property theft, stolen data, and dis-incentivizes innovation;
• Job displacement for workers and business closures;
• Increased costs of doing business overseas;
• Heightened violence and criminality in some markets; and
• Diminished brand integrity and market reputational value.

CURRENT PRIORITIES

Objectives

• Illicit Trade in the COVID-19 Crisis Environment. Click here to visit our dedicated page on COVID-19 for messages from our CEO, press releases, member-driven initiatives, and more.
• Development of Anti-Illicit Trade Committee (AITC) Plan of Action (POA) and focus on key member brand protection concerns and Anti-Illicit Trade (AIT) issues of interest, provided below in alphabetical order:
  • Engagement of China and other Source Markets of Fakes;
  • Targeted Action on Illicit Trade including Counterfeit and Pirated Goods;
  • AIT Enforcement at Free Trade Zones (FTZs);
  • Strengthening Information sharing across sectors and markets; and
  • Address “small parcels” trade in contraband and illicit commodities.
• Raising public awareness of newly established AITC at USCIB and its commitment to fight illicit trade with U.S. government agencies and U.S. Congress, private sector and business community, international and intergovernmental organizations, and economies and market stakeholders around the world.
• Active leadership and engagement in Business at OECD and the Business at OECD Anti-Illicit Trade Expert Group (AITEG) and align activities and outcomes.

WHO WE ARE

The USCIB Anti-Illicit Trade Committee is composed of USCIB member companies representing a range of business and industry sectors. Priorities are determined that reflect a consensus among the members.

The Committee takes a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary, approach and public-private partnerships, to elevate the fight against illicit trade, particularly related to the work of the OECD’s TF-CIT, corresponding activity by Business at OECD, and the work of the International Chamber of Commerce’s Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP) initiative.

Mission

The Committee promotes strong international AIT leadership and advocates for a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary approach to the complex topic of illicit trade including, among others:

• Business at OECD and Business at OECD Anti-Illicit Trade Expert Group (AITEG)

• OECD Task Force on Countering Illicit Trade (TFCIT), Governance Directorate
• APEC and in other strategic international fora in advance of USCIB Partnerships

• U.S. Departments of Commerce, Homeland Security, Justice, State, and Treasury, White House (National Security Council and Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator), and U.S. National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

All USCIB members are eligible to participate in the USCIB Anti-Illicit Trade Committee. If you are a member and would like to be added to this committee or if you would like more information on how to become a member, please contact:

Alison Hoiem
Senior Director, Member Services
(202) 682-1291 – ahoiem@uscib.org

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