USCIB Celebrates International Women’s Day and Joins UN in Calling for Continued Investment in Women 

New York, NY, March 8, 2024 — The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) celebrates International Women’s Day. USCIB also welcomes the United Nations’ 2024 theme of “Invest in women: Accelerate progress” and believes that investment in women is a human rights imperative.  

USCIB and its members have long championed the critical role of gender equality, support for female change-makers and implementation of gender-responsive financing. USCIB is also proud to be led by Whitney Baird, the first female President and CEO in the organization’s 79-year history, as of September 2023. 

“Through our engagement in the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the International Organization of Employers (IOE) and Business at OECD (BIAC), we will continue to work with our business counterparts around the world to address gender equality barriers that continue to confront women and girls and to accelerate progress for women everywhere through adequate investment and effective policies,” said USCIB Director for Corporate Responsibility and Labor Affairs Ewa Staworzynska. 

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

USCIB Issues 2024 Priorities and Recommendations for APEC

USCIB has issued this year’s priorities and recommendations that USCIB and its members would like to see advanced in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). This annual priorities document reflects critical issue areas across USCIB’s primary workstreams related to APEC. USCIB has always been a longstanding and steadfast contributor to APEC workstreams and stands ready to provide business inputs to advance APEC goals and objectives for 2024 and beyond.   

APEC also reflects USCIB’s longstanding and guiding objectives of promoting open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence.  

“USCIB values the committed partnerships that APEC has established with the private sector to address the many economic opportunities available to foster greater integration between APEC’s member economies,” said USCIB Senior Vice President for Trade, Investment and Digital Policy Alice Slayton Clark. 

“We laud the excellent work accomplished during the 2023 U.S. APEC host year and look forward to an equally productive 2024, exploring new topics for outcomes and deliverables as Peru takes the helm,” added Clark.  

USCIB Supports First-Ever Multilateral Agreement on “Living Wage”

New York, NY, February 27, 2024–This weekend, the International Labor Organization (ILO), the UN entity responsible for setting international labor standards, reached the first-in-history multilateral agreement on the concept of a “living wage.” The alignment on the concept, negotiated between workers, employers and governments, was part of the outcome of a week-long expert meeting on wage policies, including living wages.

In recent years, there has been a rise in political pressures on ensuring wage levels that can ensure a decent standard of living and an increase in living wage initiatives and consulting firms, claiming to help companies set correct wage levels. Yet, as reported by the ILO, such initiatives have largely been ignoring the second pillar of wage-setting, namely economic factors. The expert meeting provided clarity on this and underscored that a wage-setting process must take into account both the needs of workers and economic factors.

“We are proud to have reached multilateral alignment on the concept of a ‘living wage,’” said Ewa Staworzynska, director of corporate responsibility and labor affairs at USCIB, who represented American business during the expert meeting, together with Ryan Larsen, group director, international labor relations at Walmart. “In order to set sustainable wages and not disrupt employment levels, it is critical that wage-setting processes couple the estimates of needs of workers with economic factors, such as macroeconomic stability and productivity levels.”

The full conclusions, including the ILO’s description of the concept, is expected to be published in the coming days.

About USCIB
The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) advances the global interests of American business. We do so through advocacy for an open system of world trade, finance, and investment, where business can flourish and contribute to economic growth, human welfare, and environmental protection. We are the sole U.S. affiliate of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Business at OECD (BIAC) and the International Organization of Employers (IOE). USCIB is also the only U.S. business organization with standing at the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and is recognized at the UN Environment Program (UNEP), UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UN CBD).

Celebrating International Day of Women in Multilateralism

New York, N.Y., January 25, 2024—Today, the United States Council for International Business (USCIB) celebrates International Day of Women in Multilateralism.

The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) formally adopted and declared January 25 as International Day of Women in Multilateralism in 2021. According to ECOSOC, the purpose of this day is to recognize the essential role played by women in the promotion of human rights, peace and sustainable development within the multilateral system. The day advocates for increased representation of women in key decision-making positions that shape and implement multilateral agendas and for ensuring that multilateralism works for women and girls through gender transformative actions and agreements.

“Truly a day to mark,” said USCIB Senior Vice President Norine Kennedy. “I’m so proud to work with my USCIB colleagues to promote American business views throughout the multilateral system and to support inclusive multilateralism.”

USCIB Celebrates 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

New York, N.Y., December 10, 2023—The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) stands with the international community and the United Nations in commemorating the 75th anniversary of the 1948 adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). On this Human Rights Day, USCIB wishes to celebrate all the work on human rights that has been done through collaboration by businesses, governments and multilateral organizations around the globe.

The UDHR set forth, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected, and its adoption was the largest milestone in the history of human rights. USCIB welcomes the UN’s 2023 Human Rights Day theme of “Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All,” and, while progress has been made, more needs to be done to realize human rights globally. 12 years ago, the UN adopted the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which provide a clear framework to do exactly that.

The U.S. business community is firmly committed to the Guiding Principles and hopes to see them implemented by States globally. Only a handful of countries have implemented National Action Plans and more needs to be done to improve the human rights situation in countries where structural challenges, lack of rule of law and poor governance remain as fundamental obstacles.

“Today’s celebration of the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Declaration of Human Rights is an important reminder that the global community still has a lot of work to do to realize human rights,” said USCIB Director for Corporate Responsibility and Labor Affairs Ewa Staworzynska. “Governments across the world must protect human rights and businesses should respect human rights. Progress can only be achieved if we work together, and American companies are committed to doing so.”

About USCIB: USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and prudent regulation. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms with operations in every region of the world. As the U.S. affiliate of the leading international business organizations, and as the sole U.S. business group with standing in the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More at www.uscib.org.

USCIB Supports Joint Global Business Position on UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights

USCIB joins in support of the Global Joint Business Position on the Draft Legally Binding Instrument on Business and Human Right.

The position paper responds to fourth Draft of the Legally Binding Instrument, also referred to as the “UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights,” prepared as the basis for the Ninth Session of the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with Respect to Human Rights (OEIGWG).

According to USCIB Director for Corporate Responsibility and Labor Affairs Ewa Staworzynska, the Joint Business Position is the result of extensive inputs from USCIB member companies, as well as the International Organization of Employers (IOE), BusinessEurope and Business and OECD (BIAC).

Since the beginning of the negotiations of the Treaty, there have been fundamental concerns, and these continue to persist based on the content in the fourth Draft.

“At the core, the Treaty fails to address the root causes of adverse human rights impacts, such as weak governance, weak rule of law, corruption, lack of development and high levels of informality,” said Staworzynska. “Further, it blurs the differentiated roles of States and business when it comes to human rights, it promotes extraterritorial jurisdiction, and it would create severe liability risks and legal uncertainty if it were to be adopted in its current form.”

USCIB is committed to advancing responsible business conduct and encourages governments to take into account the legal implications and the feasibility of implementation and further urges governments to ensure that the Treaty is aligned with the well-respected and widely supported UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

The position paper can be accessed here.

Wanner Delivers Stakeholder Intervention at UN on New Cybercrime Convention 

Barbara Wanner

This week, the United Nations convened a meeting to finalize a new draft UN Convention that would counter the use of ICTs for cybercrime. USCIB Vice President for ICT Policy Barbara Wanner was on the ground in New York and delivered a stakeholder intervention that focused on scope of the Convention and data protection safeguards.  

The negotiation for the text of this new Convention, officially called the “Ad Hoc Committee to Elaborate a Comprehensive International Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies for Criminal Purposes,” aims to address the abuse of information technologies to scale and speed crimes such as terrorism, human trafficking, smuggling of migrants, drug trafficking, and illicit manufacturing and trafficking in firearms.    

Wanner’s intervention reflected comments also made by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), USCIB member Microsoft, and the Cybersecurity Tech Accord. 

“The Convention should align with existing instruments and data protection standards to avoid conflict of laws, confusion, delays, increased costs, and potential cooperation breakdown,” said Wanner. Wanner also addressed the draft’s provisions for government access to personal data, related to a wide variety of cyber-enabled crimes that are not currently defined in the draft without appropriate safeguards.  

“Combined with the lack of clarity on jurisdiction for this category of crimes, data custodians will have no way of determining whether government requests for data access are reasonable and proportional,” added Wanner. 

Wanner referenced the OECD Declaration on Government Access to Personal Data Held by Private Sector Entities, adopted in December 2022, as a good model.  

“The OECD framework aims to clarify how national security and law enforcement agencies can access personal data under existing legal frameworks,” added Wanner. 

USCIB Joins Industry in Statement Supporting Digital Trade in Africa

USCIB joined 11 other industry associations to urge negotiators to develop comprehensive and in-depth pan-African digital trade commitments for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

According to the statement, Africa is positioned to become a global leader in developing global transformation opportunities across a multitude of sectors. In order to facilitate this, access to the global digital economy must be a key part of the continent’s strategy for growth and development. A digital transformation for Africa will improve innovation, facilitate job creation, and ease efforts for achieving equity, particularly for micro/small/medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The continent holds an enormous market for job opportunities that incorporate emerging digital technologies, and facilitating this transition through the removal of infrastructure barriers is crucial.

The statement calls for “proactive efforts by African leaders” to support clear digital trade rules for the AfCFTA and demands a steady commitment to the digital transformation by implementing these rules in an efficient manner. Specifically, USCIB and industry leaders urge that AfCFTA establishes a moratorium on tariffs and customs formalities for electronic transmissions, prohibits restrictions on the cross-border flow of data and forced localization of computing facilities and implements transparent and accountable regulatory practices for digital trade.

USCIB encourages African leaders to support growth on the continent by implementing clear and strong digital trade rules that are founded on best practices and supported by a commitment to transparency and digital innovation.

The full statement can be found here.

Global Associations Request Consultation With India on Proposed Telecoms Bill

USCIB joined nearly a dozen other associations, such as BSA, ITI and the App Association, to request a consultation with the government of India on India’s proposed Telecommunications Bill. India is in the process of finalizing a second draft of the Bill.

The associations, which represent global companies that develop, sell or rely on digital technologies and services, support the Government of India’s commitment to promoting digital inclusion and catalyzing the next generation of digitally enabled economic growth.

The letter states: India is a global technology leader that creates and supplies goods and services to contribute to a productive, competitive, and innovative global economy and society. Thoughtful regulatory approaches have been critical to that success.

To read the letter, please click here.

Wanner Speaks at UN Stakeholder Meeting on Security and Use of ICTs

USCIB Vice President for ICT Policy Barbara Wanner joined a stakeholder consultation alongside other non-governmental organizations in an informal dialogue of the United Nations’ Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on security and the use of information and communications technologies (ICT’s) (2021-2025).

According to Wanner, the OEWG is mandated to further develop rules, norms and principles of responsible behavior for governments related to ICT security, such as information and data, as well as possible cooperative measures to prevent and counter threats.

Wanner’s intervention focused on three points; timely involvement of the business community, especially during cybersecurity incidents, a shared approach to capacity building and the importance of convening experts on the impact of AI, quantum computing and other technologies on international security.

“As UN members states consider how to harness these technologies to enhance security – as well as address potential risks they pose – we urge you to include stakeholders to ensure a holistic and thoughtful examination of what is new, what is different and what warrants policy and regulatory adaptions,” said Wanner.

Hosted by the OEWG Chair, the Permanent Representative of Singapore to the UN Burhan Gafoor, the dialogue provided an opportunity for continued interaction between the stakeholder community and governments.

This stakeholder consultation was scheduled ahead of the fifth substantive session of the OEWG taking place later this month at the UN headquarters in New York.