Corporate Responsibility and Labor Affairs

Trends and Challenges Facing U.S. Business:

  • As company operations have diversified globally and views on the role of business in society evolves, there is a continuing need for evidence-based government policies that distinguish the complementary but distinct roles of governments and business.  The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights are the global framework that clarify the duty of governments under international law to protect the human rights of their citizens, the responsibility of businesses to respect human rights in their operations, and the need for greater access to remedy for alleged victims of corporate-related human rights harms.
  • Complex supply chains pose risks for multinational corporations operating globally, through possible exposure to weak or lax enforcement of policies and laws meant to address unfair and unacceptable working conditions like forced labor and child labor. To address these decent work deficits meaningfully, a range of policy tools can be applied to both support and encourage governments to enact the rule of law in their own countries, ranging from targeted development assistance to labor-conditionality in trade preference programs and free trade agreements.
  • The United Nations 2030 Development Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will re-frame corporate sustainability and touch the lives of people everywhere. The scale and ambition of the Agenda creates a tremendous opportunity for the private sector to demonstrate the central role it plays in sustainable development and human prosperity and to serve as an essential partner.

 

USCIB’s Response:

  • Advocate for policies that recognize the different roles of governments and business in ensuring respect for the rule of law and human rights. With the advent of the consensus around the three pillars of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which USCIB helped shape and which we endorse, we work to ensure that regulatory approaches remain consistent with the established consensus on the balance between the State duty to protect and the corporate responsibility to respect human rights.
  • Help members promote American business leadership in global policy debates by tracking emerging trends in regulatory and civil society expectations, informing members of key developments, and channeling member feedback directly in our engagements with the U.S. Administration and international organizations, including as the U.S. business representative within the UN, International Labor Organization (ILO) and OECD. In doing so, we communicate our members’ consensus views on international labor standards, civil society initiatives and macroeconomic labor market policies.
  • Advocate for the inclusion of the business community in the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the global, national and local levels and promote USCIB members’ contributions to the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through advocacy platforms, such as Business for 2030, and leveraging exposure through leading conferences and events around UN policy meetings.

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.

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News Stories

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Chairs

David N. Barnes
Vice President, Global Workforce Policy
IBM Corporation

Tam Robert Nguyen
President, bechtel.org Impact Company
Bechtel Corporation

Vice Chairs

Ryan Larsen
Senior Director, International Labor Relations
Walmart Inc.

Melissa J. Kopolow 
Vice President, Sustainability Practice
Albright Stonebridge Group

Staff

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

Jose Arroyo
Policy Manager, Corporate Responsibility and Labor Affairs
212-703-5083 or at jarroyo@uscib.org

Ronnie Goldberg
Senior Counsel
212-703-5057 or at rgoldberg@uscib.org

Tom Mackall
Senior Counsel and ILO Governing Body Member
tmackall@uscib.org

Staff Contact:   Ewa Staworzynska

Director, Corporate Responsibility and Labor Affairs
Tel: 212.703.5056

Ewa Staworzynska is USCIB’s Director of Corporate Responsibility and Labor Affairs. Staworzynska brings to USCIB her extensive policy experience from both public and private sectors. Prior to joining USCIB, she led DoorDash’s policy efforts in international markets and was in charge of diplomatic relations. Before her position at DoorDash, Staworzynska was an officer at the International Labor Organization (ILO), where she worked multilaterally to advance support for decent work and related policies at UN headquarters. Staworzynska began her career in New York working for a real estate start-up. Staworzynska will be based in USCIB’s New York office and will work with Jose Arroyo, USCIB policy associate on corporate responsibility and labor affairs, on a wide range of issues, including human rights and industrial policy, responsible business conduct, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She was born and raised in Norway and has a B.A. in Economics and M.A. in International Relations, with a specialty in International Business, from New York University.
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