Business In Society Archives

Business at OECD Releases Paper on Trade Priorities, Responding to 2023 OECD Trade Strategy 

Published on November 28, 2023

This week, Business at OECD (BIAC) released its flagship paper “Trading Better, Living Better” outlining trade priorities aimed at promoting robust and resilient trade, innovation, open markets, a level the playing field and inclusivity. The paper is developed to inform the future work program of the OECD Trade and Agriculture Directorate. 

 

The paper was launched on November 27 at a virtual event including OECD officials, government policymakers and other trade stakeholders. USCIB Vice President for International Investment and Trade Policy and BIAC Trade Committee Vice Chair Alice Slayton Clark presented key priorities from the digital section of the paper. These included permanent renewal of the World Trade Organization (WTO) moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions, high standard outcomes from the JSI on e-commerce negotiations and OECD advancement of the benefits of cross-border data flows and negative effects of data localization measures. 

 

Importantly, the document also urges the OECD to support policy efforts towards strengthening intellectual property (IP) protections, which serve as a fuel for innovation. It urges research on the benefits of IP safeguards and negative trade effects of weak IP rights enforcement.

 

“The paper underscores several key recommendations for strengthening trade and business,” said Clark. “It calls on the international community to foster rules-based and resilient trade, strengthen the foundations of open markets, advance the digital economy, level the playing field for government support and secure public support for open markets.”

 

Read the full paper here.

Business at OECD Launches Responsible Business Conduct Committee, Co-Chaired by USCIB Member Laura Chapman-Rubbo (Disney)

Published on November 28, 2023
Laura Rubbo attends USCIB’s 2019 International Leadership Award Dinner
L-R: Peter Robinson (formerly USCIB), Laura Rubbo (The Walt Disney Company), Guy Ryder (formerly ILO), Terry McGraw (formerly USCIB & S&P Global)

Business at OECD (BIAC) launched the newly formed BIAC Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) Committee on November 8 in Paris. The rationale for establishing a dedicated RBC committee is rooted in the growing OECD RBC workstreams, which are expected to expand in the upcoming years. While the BIAC RBC Committee was previously housed under the same umbrella as the Investment Committee, close coordination between both committees will continue. In line with this, two previous vice-chairs of the Investment and RBC Committees now serve as the new co-chairs of the BIAC RBC committee: Laura Chapman-Rubbo from USCIB member The Walt Disney Company and Paul Noll from the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations (BDA).

USCIB was delighted to nominate Chapman-Rubbo as co-chair. She has extensive expertise in working with OECD matters, closely collaborating with BIAC on the review of upcoming OECD RBC guidance. As a leading voice in RBC topics, Chapman-Rubbo brings an American perspective, along with know-how from a worldwide transnational company to the table. USCIB members are committed to driving positive change while ensuring that American business interests remain represented at the OECD level.

“I am honored to co-chair this committee,” said Chapman-Rubbo. “We are building on decades of important work by BIAC, their member national business associations, and their member companies to advance responsible business conduct and the OECD’s Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.”

The first BIAC RBC committee meeting was held on November 8 and now the committee is focused on a 2024 work plan and outreach.

USCIB Member Google Wins Prestigious ACE Award for Women’s Economic Security Work in Poland

Published on November 1, 2023
U.S. Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski presents the award to Marta Poslad, Google Polska

USCIB member Google received the Department of State’s prestigious Award for Corporate Excellence (“ACE Award”) in the Women’s Economic Security category for the outstanding work Google of Poland (“Google Polska”) in promoting Women entrepreneurship, including among Ukrainian women refugees. Google was the only large U.S. multinational to win an ACE Award this year; the other four winners are small or medium U.S. enterprises operating in Africa. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted the annual award ceremony at the State Department on October 30.

Google’s win this year marks the 25th ACE Award win by a USCIB member company in the 24 years the Awards have been presented. Google Polska was recognized for setting the standard in promoting gender equality in the Polish and Central European workplace and supporting women in tech initiatives in Poland, Ukraine and the region. Women fill the large majority of senior leadership posts in Google’s very impressive Polish operations.

According to USCIB Senior Advisor Shaun Donnelly, who attended the award ceremony, Google Polska’s Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy for Central Europe Marta Poslad accepted the award on behalf of the Google team and delivered very heart-felt remarks. Google’s Head of Global Government Affairs and Public Policy Karan Bhatia represented Google corporate leadership. U.S. Ambassador to Poland Mark Brezinski, who had originally nominated Google Polska for the award, flew home from Warsaw to be at the ceremony and to present the award to Google.

Whitney Baird, USCIB’s new president and CEO, and previously a long-time senior State Department senior official, was one of the invited guests at the annual ceremony.

“I’ve worked behind the scenes on the ACE award ceremony and selection process for many years,” said Baird. “It’s always been a great event, but I enjoyed seeing it this year from a private sector perspective. I was delighted to see a great USCIB member company among the winners again this year. Google in Poland is a prime example of the critical work USCIB member companies are doing around the world, representing and nurturing American values, promoting innovation and economic growth, and showing how businesses—large and small—can be responsible citizens that can do good while doing well.”

USCIB was the only major U.S. trade association represented at the ACE Awards ceremony this year.

“We have worked over the years to support the State Department team organizing the program, the nomination and selection process and to bring more attention to this great program,” said Donnelly.

USCIB Voices Concern Over UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights

Published on October 27, 2023
Ewa Staworzynska

The “Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with Respect To Human Rights” convened in Geneva this week for its ninth session of negotiations on Legally Binding Instrument on Business and Human Rights. The Legally Binding Instrument, also known as the “UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights,” is in its fourth draft, as released on July 31st this year.

For years, the business community has been concerned about onerous requirements on business, liability risks and legal uncertainty the draft Treaty would create both for States and companies, and these challenges continue to persist based on the fourth draft. It also promotes extraterritorial jurisdiction and includes broad definitions, causing further questions about its viability and implementation feasibility.

“USCIB is firmly committed to respecting human rights and advancing responsible business conduct globally,” said Ewa Staworzynska, USCIB director of corporate responsibility and labor affairs, who represented USCIB during the negotiations. “This draft Treaty, in its current form, would create a severe level of legal uncertainty for governments and for business, and it would contribute to divestments and market exits, especially in developing countries. Unfortunately, the current draft Treaty takes us away from the well-respected UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights.”

The negotiations progressed slowly, only covering three out of 24 articles with vast disagreements on what the scope of the Treaty should be. The governments ultimately adopted the session report, by consensus, and thus agreed to present a procedural decision to the Human Rights Council in 2024 to request additional resources for the process. In addition, intersessional consultations will be held, together with legal experts, ahead of the 10th negotiation next year.

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

Published on October 27, 2023

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.

USCIB Participates at Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Kyoto, Hosts USCIB Foundation/BIAC Roundtable on AI 

Published on October 23, 2023
Elizabeth Thomas Raynaud (OECD), Nicky Jackson Colaco (Roblox), Nicole Primmer (Business at OECD), Paula Bruening (Casentino Strategies), Barbara Wanner (USCIB), Liz Thomas (Microsoft), Maylis Berviller (BIAC), Nan Schechter (USCIB), Minami Kakuda (BIAC)

USCIB attended the 18th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Kyoto earlier this month. The Forum featured the theme of “The Internet We Want – Empowering All People” and was headlined by notable speakers such as Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. USCIB Vice President for ICT Policy Barbara Wanner was on the ground, along with USCIB Policy Associate Nan Schecter.   

Wanner coordinated USCIB members at the IGF including Amazon, Disney, EY, Google, Lego, Meta, Microsoft, Netflix and Verisign. USCIB members offered insights and expertise throughout the week in main sessions, workshops, and the “hallway meetings” that participants have come to value from the IGF. USCIB also participated in conversations on critical policy topics, including responsible AI governance, the upcoming WSIS+20 review to renew and reaffirm the IGF mandate, negotiations for a UN Cybercrime Convention that will prioritize law enforcement and stifle criminal activity and the Declaration for the Future of the Internet. 

A joint project between Business at OECD (BIAC) and The USCIB Foundation, entitled “Data Privacy in the Metaverse and Immersive Technologies,” was also spotlighted at two IGF side events. 

On October 9, USCIB members and stakeholders convened at a roundtable to discuss data governance issues related to emerging metaverse and immersive technologies. The conversation focused on the Asia Pacific region and highlighted how companies such as NEC and Toyota are employing metaverse training, content development and research funding to promote growth in the region of the metaverse. 

On October 11, Wanner moderated the panel “Creating virtual worlds? A case for innovation and policy that protects users and fosters trust.” Part of the Nikkei Digital Forum, this premier event featured speakers from the OECD, Microsoft, Roblox, and the Japan-based Center for International Economic Collaboration who discussed the status of development and adoption of immersive technologies, as well as necessary policy considerations for its deployment. 

“I want to thank the Government of Japan for hosting such an important event and for highlighting AI governance as the dominant topic for the 18th Forum,” said Wanner. She continued, “IGF as a whole, as well as the joint events between The USCIB Foundation and BIAC, allowed our members to share their technology priorities and enabled us to advocate for balanced policy and regulatory approaches to AI and the Internet.” 

Annual Engaging Business Forum Gathers Experts to Grapple With Complex Human Rights Challenges

Published on October 18, 2023
USCIB President and CEO Whitney Baird in Atlanta

USCIB, the International Organization of Employers (IOE) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce hosted this year’s annual Engaging Business Forum (EBF) from October 11-12. As the largest business and human rights conference in the United States, the conference brought together nearly 500 public policy leaders from multinational companies, experts in human rights and sustainability, as well as representatives of civil society and government.

USCIB’s new President and CEO Whitney Baird reflected on the EBF’s unique value proposition for USCIB members and stakeholders.

“I am blown away by the business community’s engagement on human rights, labor rights and sustainability at large,” said Baird. “Our members are grappling with some extremely complex policy issues, which is why the discussions this week are so important; only when we come together to reflect on challenges and candidly share our perspective, can we effectively shape policies that work for all stakeholders.”

IOE Secretary General Roberto Suárez Santos, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, and ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo were among this year’s speakers, along with prominent companies such as Disney, Walmart, Apple, Mondelez, among others.

Over the two-day conference, participants heard from experts about timely and critical topics such as corporate political responsibility and business and human rights, stakeholder right information, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and human rights, practical challenges of just transition and bringing living wage to life.

Hosted annually by Coca-Cola, EBF has become known for its innovative panels and eminent speakers, who have anticipated trends and helped shape industry-leading responsible business practice. The Forum is also unique in that it provides a platform for leaders from business and government to engage in candid discussions about practical solutions to complex human rights challenges.

“The business community is firmly committed to upholding the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights,” said USCIB Director for CRLA Ewa Staworzynska. “In order to advance global progress on human rights, States must protect human rights, and businesses must respect human rights.”

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. 

USCIB’s Staworzynska to Chair IOE Group on Human Rights & Responsible Business Conduct

Published on September 13, 2023

The International Organization of Employers (IOE) has just approved the nomination of USCIB Director for Corporate Responsibility and Labor Affairs, Ewa Staworzynska, as the new chair of the IOE Policy Working Group on Human Rights and Responsible Business Conduct (RBC).

“IOE’s Policy Working Group on Human Rights and RBC offers IOE members and corporate partners a space to discuss national and international policy developments, share businesses’ contributions to human rights and RBC policy matters, and collectively engage at the global policy stage,” said Staworzynska.

As the representative of employers at the ILO, and as the representative of business on social and employment policy issues in other multilateral fora, the IOE provides a vital business perspective to the many activities and initiatives that seek to advance the Business and Human Rights and Responsible Business Conduct agenda. IOE advocates on behalf of business for reasonable, realistic and workable solutions to the world’s myriad socio-economic challenges.

“Human rights and RBC is a priority for USCIB members,” added Staworzynska. “American companies’ are deeply committed to RBC and strongly value international policy engagements on these issues.”

Health Care

Published on August 9, 2023

Trends and Challenges Facing the Health Care Sector:

  • Global health issues have risen to the top of the agenda as policymakers struggle to ensure the best quality health care at an affordable price
  • The digital transformation of health care systems provides fresh opportunities for better care, newer treatments, and greater focus on the needs of the patient
  • Non-communicable diseases harm the growth and productivity of the economy and the well-being of societies

USCIB’s Response:

  • Advocate for multi-stakeholder initiatives and the central role of science- and evidence-based data in developing policy
  • Press for policies at the OECD that create the right incentives and collaborative environments to drive investment in innovation and technology
  • Advance voluntary consumer initiatives, responsible marketing, and healthy lifestyles

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

Staff

Ashley Harrington
Policy and Program Assistant
202-682-5861 or aharrington@uscib.org