JOURNAL OF THE UNITED STATES COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AUTUMN 2015 VOL. XXXVII, NO. 3

INTERNATIONALBUSINESS

Business and the UN

Development Agenda

page 3

Inside

China and technology barriers 4

Business and human rights 6

ICC New York Conference 13

2 USCIB International Business Autumn 2015 www.uscib.org

shoulder” business got in the development of the Millennium Development Goals 15 years ago.

All eyes now on implementation – and on Paris

USCIB has worked closely with the UN system, the U.S. government and other business groups to shape the SDGs, and has identified priority issues for business attention and engagement. To date, however, the access and involvement afforded business in the deliberations has not been commensu-rate with the high expectations for private-sector resources and action. We are working to change that as attention now shifts to putting the SDGs into practice at the national level.

I have been extremely impressed with the commitment and determina-tion shown by USCIB members to help guide and inform the UN’s work on the 2030 Development Agenda. Special thanks and recognition go to Ann Condon of GE, chair of USCIB’s Environment Committee, and to Tam Nguyen of Bechtel and Brian Lowry of Monsanto, co-chairs of our SDGs Working Group.

The new UN agenda will shift the terrain for much of USCIB’s work, and we appreciate the encouragement and support we have received to continue to take a pro-active role, expressing USCIB’s vision and raising USCIB’s visibility. We will continue to work hard to inject business views into the implementation phase, especially at the national level, utilizing USCIB’s un-matched global business network.

We are now gearing up for the next critical step in the Campaign 2015 program: the COP21 climate negotiations in Paris. In October, I helped rep-resent U.S. business in Tokyo at the Second Innovation for Cool Earth Forum (ICEF2), a high-level conference organized by the government of Japan for business, government and academics to discuss the important role of innovation and technology in addressing climate change. While in Tokyo, I also participated in the High Level Business Dialogue organized by Laurence Tubiana of the government of France; the invitation to join this influential consultation with government ministers on technological solutions and their deployment is further recognition of USCIB’s reputation and ex-pertise in the process. We also participated in the final round of UN climate negotiations in Bonn.

And now it is on to Paris!

Contact Peter Robinson at (212) 703-5046 or probinson@uscib.org.

Here in New York, September was a high-profile month, not only for heads of state, but also for business where USCIB, along with our col-leagues at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), was in the thick of things during the United Nations General Assembly.

Prior to the opening of this year’s session, country leaders and other important actors gathered for two events of critical importance for busi-ness: UN Climate Week and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Summit. After two years of slow-moving and intricately detailed negotia-tions, countries agreed the UN 2030 Development Agenda, which includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (see page 3). They also highlighted the critical importance of a successful outcome at this December’s UN Climate Summit in Paris.

In both these arenas, USCIB has been involved every step of the way. It is clear that both initiatives will impact the private sector, while also providing many opportunities for business to contribute. Because of this, our stepped-up advocacy and communications activities this year on both climate change and the SDGs have been carefully planned and strategically managed under our Campaign 2015 initiative.

Our key messages have been consistent – as well as insistent. Both in the negotiations leading to the SDGs and in the climate change negotiations, we have underscored the need for business to be embedded in the process. This is necessary to leverage the full resources that we can bring to the table – through investment, innovation and know-how. We have also sought to ensure that expectations of the private sector’s contributions are reason-able, and in line with business and economic realities. I believe this steady drumbeat of private-sector messaging is beginning to pay off.

Business for 2030 showcases company initiatives

I am especially proud of the launch of our Business for 2030 web portal, which makes a critical contribution to the 2030 Agenda by showcasing cor-porate programs and initiatives supporting each of the 17 SDGs (see page 3). Co-sponsored by Bechtel, MasterCard and IFPMA, our event attracted a diverse, standing-room only crowd of corporate, governmental, IGO and NGO representatives. We were honored to have UN Ambassador Amina Mohammed, the architect of the Sustainable Development Goals, as our opening speaker. Another leading figure in international development, Erik Solheim, executive director of the OECD Development Committee, deliv-ered closing comments.

The Business for 2030 portal has already received widespread acclaim, and it has been designated by the UN as an official portal for identifying corpo-rate contributions to the SDGs. This is a remarkable contrast to the “cold

Peter M. Robinson, President and CEO, USCIBthe

first word

USCIB at the United Nations

Both in the negotiations leading to the SDGs and in the climate change negotiations, we have underscored the need for business to be embedded in the process.

USCIB International Business Autumn 2015 www.uscib.org 3

USCIB welcomed the agreement reached in September by the United Nations General Assembly of the UN 2030 Development Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A product of extensive consul-tation with all stakeholders, the SDGs represent the UN’s most ambitious vision for sustainable development. These goals will reshape the practice of development globally as well as the private sector’s role in building a more prosperous, healthy world.

USCIB is deeply engaged in all aspects of the UN development agenda, advocating for good governance and the rule of law, inclusive economic growth, investment in infrastructure, enabling environments to foster innova-tion, strong public-private partnerships and above all, an open channel for business input into policy negotiations and implementation at the interna-tional and national levels. USCIB feeds into UN development agenda as the U.S. national committee of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), which chairs the Global Business Alliance for Post-2015 and the Finance for Development Business Sector Steering Committee.

“The 2030 Development Agenda identifies the private sector as part of the solution, in more meaningful and concrete ways than ever before,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson. “This is an agenda that we can support, and are indeed already supporting, because we in the business community have helped to build it.”

Business for 2030 Launch Event

On September 24, over 100 business leaders, government officials, UN del-egates and representatives from business and civil society attended USCIB’s launch event for its Business for 2030 web portal, which showcases the private sector’s contributions to the SDGs.

Part informative resource, part catalog of business engagement, Business for 2030 features over 120 examples from 30 companies in over 100 countries of how businesses are helping to achieve 70 of the 169 SDG targets.

“We wanted to highlight concrete initiatives and partnerships that our members and partners are undertaking to support the 2030 Agenda,” said Robinson. “We believe that Business for 2030 can inspire renewed trust in the private sector, while catalyzing active, sustained business engagement in support of the SDGs.”

At the half-day event held at the Harvard Club, USCIB member companies and international business representatives discussed the examples featured

on Business for 2030 with the broader develop-ment community, with a focus on the critical role of infrastructure and the need to transform pub-lic-private partnerships. USCIB organized the event in partnership with Bechtel, MasterCard and the International Federation of Pharmaceuti-cal Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA).

High-level speakers introduced the event and framed the discussions around the private-sector engagement. Robinson and Amina Mohammed, special adviser to the UN sec-retary general on post-2015 development planning, gave opening remarks. A panel dis-

cussion followed, moderated by Matthew Bishop of The Economist with Alex Thier, assistant administrator for policy, planning and learning at USAID; and Shawn Miles, executive vice president for global public policy at MasterCard.

“It is really exciting times,” said Mohammed, addressing business leaders in the room. “Grab this opportunity.”

Mohammed said partnerships with businesses of all sizes would be encour-aged, and that the private sector will be provided with incentives to invest in achieving the SDGs.

Meeting with WTO Director General and ICC’s SDG Business Forum

The importance of cross-border trade and investment as a key facilitator of achieving the SDGs was a core theme of discussion during the UN General Assembly.

On Friday, September 25, USCIB Vice Chairman Dennis Nally hosted a meet-ing with Roberto Azevedo, director general of the World Trade Organization, with Peter Robinson and ICC leadership.

“The ultimate success of many of the SDGs‎ - including for example those dealing with climate, infrastructure, and access to water and sanitation - will depend on transfer of technology and know-how,” said Robinson. “The WTO will play a critical role as the facilitator and delivery mechanism for that process.”

Also on Friday, ICC hosted the day-long SDG Business Forum, providing solu-tions and resources for sustainable development by 2030. The event brought together CEOs, heads of state, UN delegates and civil society leaders to dis-cuss what business is already doing in support of the SDGs, and how business can be an effective partner and contribute positively to the implementation of the new UN development framework.

Forging a Path for Business in the UN 2030 Development Agenda

coverstory

L-R: Amina Mohammed (UN), Peter Robinson (USCIB), Alex Thier (USAID). Shawn Miles (MasterCard) and moderator Matthew Bishop (The Economist).

4 USCIB International Business Autumn 2015 www.uscib.org

China’s proposed new banking regulations would require foreign technology companies to give source code and encryption keys to Beijing officials.

USCIB Weighs in on Chinese Banking Regulations

In September, USCIB joined twelve business organizations in signing a letter to the Chinese Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC), urging China to implement regulations that reflect global banking principles rather than localized solutions.

China’s proposed new banking regulations would re-quire foreign technology companies to give source code and encryption keys to Beijing officials. The global business community has argued that these regulations discriminate against foreign providers of information and communications technologies (ICTs) and would effectively shut foreign firms out of China’s banking sector.

In a letter whose signatories represent compa-nies from Asia, Europe and North America and do business across all industry sectors in China, USCIB and others encouraged China to “imple-ment a prudential regulatory framework which reflects [internationally recognized] principles, allowing appropriate industry-level benchmarking and avoiding the pitfalls associated with mandat-ing prescriptive mechanisms of technology and cybersecurity standard-setting.”

The letter summarizes a list of principles for en-hancing IT security in the banking sector on which signatories encourage China to base its regula-tions. These high-level principles include:

• Transparency in the policymaking process – to-gether with sufficient time for consultation with industry on proposed approaches.

• Polices that are flexible and adaptable to con-front emerging threats while enabling compa-nies to continue to innovate.

• A risk-based approach to examining whole systems for cyber threats to foster a pruden-tial regulatory framework that can be more efficient and more effective than focusing on individual functions or processes.

• Reliance on global security standards based on consensus industry processes, which will ensure that the best practices from around the world are incorporated and that security requirements will be regularly updated to respond to evolving threats.

• An important role for market-based approaches that achieve desirable outcomes.

“Use of such standards also avoids the insurmountable challenge of asking international firms with global platforms to comply with conflicting rules and regulations between markets,” the letter stated. “To that end, we urge the CBRC to consult with other national regulators for rules that avoid exclusive use of localized solutions, prescriptive technologies and restrictions on data flows.”

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Business Leaders Deliver Priorities to the G20

More than 1,400 business leaders and CEOs from 65 countries gathered in Turkey, Ankara for the 2015 Business-20 (B20) Conference from September 3 to 5. The three-day event marked the completion of this year’s B20 recommendations and provided an opportunity for the business community to share its priorities with Turkish President Erdogan ahead of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Antalya in November. Turkey is the G20 host nation for 2015. Ronnie Goldberg, USCIB’s senior counsel, attended the conference.

During his opening remarks President Erdogan thanked B20 Turkey Chair Rifat Hisarcıklıoglu, who also serves on the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Executive Board, for hosting an effective B20 process.

“The B20 is the most inclusive of all G20 engagement groups and the regional consultations and events organized by B20 Turkey have made the B20 the most important business platform in the world,” said President Erdogan. “Turkey will support the B20 recommendations at the G20 Summit in November.”

Rob Mulligan, USCIB’s senior vice president for policy and government affairs, participated directly in meetings of the B20 Trade Taskforce. At the meetings, Mulligan helped focus the taskforce recommendations, and several of USCIB’s member companies had representatives active on the various B20 taskforces.

ICC and USCIB Chairman Terry McGraw led a delegation of the ICC G20 Advisory Group to Ankara for discussions with business and government representatives. ICC Leadership actively participated in the conference, with McGraw, ICC Secretary General John Danilovich and ICC G20 CEO Advisory Group Chairman Marcus Wallenberg delivering business priorities to the opening plenary sessions.

“Growth and job creation should remain at the top of the G20’s priorities,” said McGraw. “These objectives can be achieved by promoting structural reform within G20 economies; by liberalizing trade and investment; by ensuring well-regulated, growth-enhancing financial markets; and by creating a healthy environment for innovation and new businesses.”

A highlight of the B20 Conference was the official introduction of the World SME Forum (WSF) as a mechanism for implementing the many SME recommendations developed under B20 Turkey. The WSF is a new global platform co-founded by ICC and the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) to amplify the voice of SMEs and unlock their potential to stabilize the economy and stimulate economic growth, trade and employment.

“Never before has the B20 taken such a robust approach to correcting the imbalances in the SME sector,” said Danilovich.

With over 21 panel sessions and 123 speakers, the Ankara conference was the largest business gathering in the B20’s 6-year history. The 2015 G20 Leaders’ Summit will be held in Antalya on November 15-16.

ICC Open Markets Index: More Effort Needed on TradeDespite repeated pledges to enable trade as a driver of growth and job creation, G20 economies are failing to demonstrate global leadership on trade openness according to the ICC Open Markets Index 2015 (OMI), published on September 3.

The report – commissioned by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) – shows that G20 nations rank below the global standard in terms of openness to trade, with only Germany placing among the world’s top 20 open markets. Singa-pore and Hong Kong head the 2015 rankings for the third successive edition of the report, far outstripping major economies such as the United States in terms of trade openness.

The Index scores 75 countries on a scale of one to six on four key factors: observed trade open-ness, trade policy, openness to foreign direct investment and trade-enabling infrastructure. In doing so, the Index also monitors government follow-through on longstanding G20 commit-ments to boost global trade flows, including pledges made at last year’s leaders’ Summit in Brisbane, Australia.

The latest edition of the Index reveals that 16 of the G20 economies score only average or below average in terms of their overall open-ness to trade. The two lowest-scoring G20 economies are Brazil and India, though both economies have seen an increase in their score from last year.

“As world leaders look for new engines of growth in the current economic environment, the OMI data shows that there is still substantial scope for G20 leaders to take action to boost global trade,” said ICC Secretary General John Danilovich. “Rolling back protectionism and implementing reforms to facilitate trade flows should be cornerstones of a revitalized G20 agenda to promote renewed growth and stabil-ity in the global economy.”

6 USCIB International Business Autumn 2015 www.uscib.org

Engaging Business Forum: Demonstrating Respect for Human Rights

Since the United Nations Human Rights Coun-cil endorsement of the landmark UN Guiding Prin-ciples on Business and Human Rights in 2011, USCIB, The Coca-Cola Company, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the International Organization of Employers (IOE) have organized an annual forum on business and human rights to foster candid dis-cussion on the corporate responsibility to respect human rights. The forum built upon earlier annual discussions of how companies can keep forced la-bor and child labor out of their supply chains.

The Guiding Principles, which were prepared under the stewardship of former UN special representative on human rights John Ruggie, es-tablished a framework under which states are ob-ligated to protect human rights in their territories, while businesses, both foreign and domestic, are responsible for respecting these rights through-out their operations. The principles also propose a framework for greater access to human rights victims to effective remedy.

The 2015 Engaging Business Conference took place on September 17 at Coca-Cola’s headquar-ters in Atlanta under the theme of “Addressing the Challenges of Demonstrating Respect for Human Rights.”

The day-long forum drew over 100 company exec-utives, along with select representatives from the public sector, NGOs and the UN for discussions on the importance of the corporate responsibility to respect human rights and the challenges faced by business in demonstrating respect for human rights in their operations.

Speakers at the event included Ariel Meyerstein, USCIB’s vice president for labor affairs, corpo-rate responsibility and corporate governance, Linda Kromjong, secretary general of the IOE, James Plunkett, director of labor policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Brent Wilton, director of global workplace rights at Coca-Cola. Company presentations came from representa-tives of Barrick Gold Corporation, Coca-Cola, HP and Kosmos Energy.

“This event underscored the strong commitment and ingenuity that leading American and global businesses bring to addressing the human rights impacts of their operations,” said Meyerstein.

Wilton framed event with an overview of the chal-lenging systemic issues that impact respect for human rights for businesses today. “The global human rights agenda for business continues to

evolve. For eight years now these conferences have given participants an opportunity to hear from those who are shaping that agenda as well as from peer companies who are working to give effect to the corporate responsibility to respect human rights,” he said.

The following overarching topics were discussed by panelists and participants throughout the day:

1. Supply Chain Impacts: forced labor and land rights

2. Freedom of Association and Collec-tive Bargaining: linkage to human rights

3. Human Rights Due Diligence: how to do it, the importance of transparency and understanding stakeholder expectations

4. Human Rights Remedy: a discussion of business’ accountability for remedy and what effective remedies look like

Meyerstein moderated the panel on “Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining.” Following the panels, participants held breakout sessions to share experiences and insights.

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L-R: Brent Wilton (Coca-Cola), James Plunkett (U.S. Chamber of Commerce), Ariel Meyerstein (USCIB), Linda Kromjong (IOE)

USCIB International Business Autumn 2015 www.uscib.org 7

White House, USCIB Members Launch American Business Action on Climate Change Pledge

USCIB welcomed the leadership announce-ments made in July at the White House by several of its members, including Coca-Cola, Google, Microsoft, Pepsico, UPS and Walmart as part of the American Business Action on Cli-mate Change Pledge. These and other USCIB members have been moving ahead to provide innovation, investment and implementation to complement the international community’s ef-forts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate risks under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

USCIB’s President and CEO Peter Robinson called this the most recent

proof that U.S. business is in the vanguard of global citizenship in advancing sustainability in the context of energy access and security. “US-CIB is strongly committed to a successful out-come at the Paris conference this December,” he said. “This announcement highlights how critical it is to engineer business into the Paris agreement in order to tap business action and invite business input to inform cost-effective policy and practice to address climate change.”

USCIB is the U.S. affiliate of the International Chamber of Commerce and a U.S. partner of the Major Economies Business Forum (BizMEF). It has repre-sented U.S. business interests in the UNFCCC since 1993.

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USCIB “Very Concerned” with Proposed Changes to US Model Income Tax TreatyUSCIB sent a letter to the U.S. Treasury on September 14 expressing concern with proposed U.S. model tax treaty changes, which in part attempt to prevent double non-taxation of income between tax treaty partners.

While acknowledging that the treaty provisions address legitimate con-cerns, USCIB said that the draft provisions “tilt too far in their attempt to prevent inappropriate claims of treaty benefits.”

USCIB argued that because tax treaties are designed to promote cross-

border trade and investment, if treaty benefits aren’t granted to legitimate claimants, then the treaty will fail in its fundamental purpose.

The letter also said that the draft provisions aren’t clear, raising questions about how the changes will be interpreted, and noted that clarity is impor-tant to taxpayers, tax authorities and treaty negotiators and legislatures.

USCIB also raised concerns about how the proposed changes will be implemented, and said that “these rules may be unacceptable to a sub-stantial number of existing U.S. treaty partners.”

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ICC Banking Commission Global Survey Highlights Impact of Trade Finance Gap on SMEsThe ICC Banking Commission has released the results from its 2015 Global Survey on trade finance – highlighting the impact of the trade finance gap on SMEs, the impact of regulation on correspondent banking, as well as positive trade finance trends, particularly with regards to export finance. Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are among the hardest-hit by the trade finance gap, reports the survey, released on September 29 by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Banking Commission. The survey received 482 responses from 112 countries around the world and showed that SMEs account for nearly 53 percent of all rejected trade finance transactions. By contrast, 79 percent of the trade finance transactions for larger businesses are accepted.

#OurClimate ICC Photographic Award 2015This year, ICC launched the first annual ICC Photographic Award, a celebration of artistic skill and outstanding photography which aims to draw attention to—and stimulate dialogue around—the global challenge of climate change. The award invites professional and amateur photographers from all over the world to submit applications reflecting on the theme of #OurClimate: from the causes and impacts of a changing climate, to our response, to the single biggest challenge facing humanity. “The winning photographs will be exhibited alongside a selection of shortlisted images that most powerfully illustrate the theme of #OurClimate,” said ICC Secretary General John Danilovich. “The exhibition will be held in December 2015 during the Paris Climate Conference at ICC Global Headquarters in Paris.”

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Business Commends the OECD, G20 on the 2015 BEPS PackageThe OECD released its long-awaited 2015 BEPS recommendations on October 5, concluding the two-year Base-Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project designed to rewrite global tax rules. “The BEPS project needed to happen, and the OECD and G20 should be congratulated both for their hard work and for achieving high-level consensus across many issues,” said Will Morris, chair of the BIAC tax committee. “Moreover this high-level consensus was achieved while working to an exceptionally ambitious timetable.” Morris added that the business community still has concerns that some of the BEPS recommendations may lead to double taxation of income, and “many important details remain to be worked out.”

OECD Appoints Doug Frantz New Deputy Secretary GeneralDoug Frantz has been appointed deputy secretary general of the OECD. An American citizen, Frantz comes to the OECD from the U.S. State Department, where he was assistant secretary of state of public affairs. Before joining the State Department, Frantz was a newspaper reporter and editor for more than 35 years, reporting from 40 countries and covering major conflicts including the first Gulf war and the Afghan war. Welcoming the appointment, OECD Secretary General Angel Gurría said, “Mr. Frantz brings to the OECD a very rich and extensive experience in government and communications, following a very distinguished career in both fields.”

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USCIB International Business Autumn 2015 www.uscib.org 9

USCIB Welcomes Conclusion of Trans-Pacific Partnership NegotiationsUSCIB welcomed the conclusion of negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership by TPP trade ministers meeting in Atlanta, saying that a comprehensive, market-opening TPP agreement would provide a significant boost to the U.S. and world economies. “We have urged the conclusion of an ambitious, high-standard TPP throughout the course of these talks, and we look forward to reviewing details of the agreement to see if they meet these expectations,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson.” U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and his counterparts are to be congratulated for seeing these talks through to their conclusion.” Robinson continued: “Our future prosperity hinges on expanded trade, investment and job creation. Together, the TPP nations account for some 40 percent of global GDP, with a burgeoning middle class. And of course there is the added potential of other countries signing on now that a deal has been sealed.”

Bit-by-Bit Won’t Get It Done on US-China BIT Negotiations“The U.S.-China BIT has the potential to be a win-win agreement to provide broad legal protections, market-opening and dispute settlement mechanisms for foreign direct investment (FDI) flows in both directions,” wrote USCIB Vice President Shaun Donnelly in a post for Investment Policy Central. “China already has over

100 BITs with other nations, so current and potential U.S. investors are presently at a disadvantage in competing for investment opportunities in China’s fast-growing economy. And make no mistake, this is not a one-way street; Chinese investors are already investing, and looking to invest more, in the U.S., which we should welcome to help increase investment, jobs and economic growth here at home.”

USCIB Engages with State Department Officials on Internet Governance AgendaAt the June 18, 2015 meeting of the USCIB ICT Policy Committee, USCIB members engaged via video conference with senior ICANN staff - Theresa Swinehart, senior advisor to the president on global strategy; Christopher Mondini, vice president, stakeholder engagement; and Jamie Hedlund, vice president, strategic programs, global domain division. Discussions focused on latest developments concerning the transition of the IANA stewardship functions from NTIA to a new multistakeholder entity, and the related effort to enhance ICANN accountability mechanisms to replace the “backstop” function currently provided by NTIA’s contract with the organization. Mondini stressed that USCIB’s “business voice” is very important in ICANN, especially with respect to the IANA transition process.

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ILO Symposium: Global Supply Chains Good for Gender EqualityThe IOE participated in the International Labor Organization Symposium on Trade and Employment on September 2, which explored the impact of international trade on employment in developing countries. The session on trade and workers’ skills was particularly useful in supporting the employer position that global supply chains produce better employment outcomes and contribute to gender equality. MNEs play an important role in closing the gender gap through cultural convergence; there is significant evidence from China that foreign firms transfer their corporate culture of employing women to their subsidiaries and that this effect ripples out to local firms.

IOE Tackles Unemployment Challenges at B20 ConferenceThe IOE hosted an event in Ankara, Turkey on September 2 to highlight joint work with BIAC and Deloitte on cataloging and assessing youth employment policies. Turkey currently holds the presidency of the G20. The B20 Conference is being held in Ankara, Turkey from September 3 to 5, 2015. Ronnie Goldberg, USCIB’s senior counsel, attended the conference. Initial findings of the joint report identify four main challenges to hiring and retaining younger workers. Nearly 30 IOE member federations contributed their diverse country experiences of youth unemployment-related issues, which include lack of appropriate training in job readiness and skills; a shortage of job opportunities and entrepreneurial companies; high costs of hiring, coupled with diminishing subsidies for employers and the expectations of young people themselves.

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USCIB Joins Other Business Groups in Defense of IPRs

The Coca-Cola Company is proud to support

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and tonight's 2015 Recipient: Mr. Randall L. Stephenson

Chairman and CEO, AT&T Inc.

The protection of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) is a central enabling condition for innovation, stimulating invest-ment and disseminating new greener technologies and knowl-edge. But in recent years, IPR protection is being challenged in a range of international forums, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the UN Post-2015 Development Agenda. Critics assert that IP protection increases costs and impedes access.

USCIB joined eight other business associations in signing a let-ter to U.S. cabinet officials calling upon the U.S. government to resist “persistent efforts” by a small group of countries and NGOs to undermine American innovation for environmental technologies. The letter focuses on major international policy decisions that will be reached covering climate change and a wide array of other economic, social and environmental policy priorities this year in New York and Paris. The letter was sent on July 29 to Secretary of State John Kerry, USTR Michael Froman and Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker.

USCIB advocates for polices that enhance innovation, such as IPRs, as vehicles that support and encourage environmental and development goals.

12 USCIB International Business Autumn 2015 www.uscib.org

USCIB Welcomes Expansion of WTO Information Technology Agreement

USCIB welcomed the agreement among members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to expand the 1996 Information Tech-nology Agreement (ITA) to a wide array of additional products.

“These are critical, market-opening negotia-tions, with vast potential to boost U.S. ex-ports,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson. “Combined with last December’s agreement on the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, this breakthrough further dem-onstrates the importance of keeping a robust multilateral track in the U.S. trade agenda.”

The original ITA helped cement the growth of electronic commerce and the digital economy by freeing up trade in many IT goods and services. But with the rapid growth of the Internet and digital technologies in the two decades

since, many newer products fall outside its purview. A plurilateral undertaking among 54 WTO members, the ongoing ITA negotia-tions aim to lift tariffs on approximately $1 trillion worth of trade in high-tech products annually.

Robinson added: “We applaud the determi-nation displayed by U.S. Trade Represen-tative Michael Froman and his team to get this important agreement done by this December’s WTO ministerial in Nairobi. We

urge all WTO members to seize this momentum to finalize a deal as soon as possible.”

In May 2013, USCIB joined a wide array of high-tech and other business groups in urging negotiators to aim for a comprehensive, ambitious and commercially meaningful expansion of the ITA.

USCIB International Business Autumn 2015 www.uscib.org 13

Nearly 200 arbitrators, legal practitioners, in-house counsel and academics attended the ICC International Court of Arbitration’s tenth annual New York Conference at the offices of Sidley Austin LLP on September 21 for interactive discussions about the most pressing questions in international arbitration today.

Titled “Current Challenges Facing Institutions, Counsel and Arbitrators: An ICC Perspective,” the ICC New York conference commemorated its tenth year, as members of the ICC International Court of Arbitration, ICC Court leadership and world-renowned practitioners gathered to examine the trends that are changing the landscape of international dispute resolution.

Alexis Mourre, the new president of the ICC Court, gave the keynote address during the day-long conference and outlined his objectives for the ICC Court during his leadership. The day’s panels included “Transparency: Incumbent on Institutions as well?”, “Counsel and Arbitrator Conduct: Should institutions become involved,” “Emergency Arbitrators: Is this institutional relief fulfilling its promise” and “Institutions’ decisions: How should domestic courts view them?”

Other ICC representatives in attendance included Andrea Carlevaris, secretary general of the ICC Court; Katherine González Arrocha, regional director for the Americas of ICC Dispute Resolution Services; Rocío Digón, managing director and counsel of the ICC Court and SICANA, Inc.

The ICC New York Conference was organized by SICANA, Inc., the provider of ICC dispute resolution services in North America and home of the ICC Court’s North American case management team.

ICC International Court of Arbitration Holds Milestone Conference in New York City

The United States Council for International Business

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Congratulations on 70 Years Young!

Deloitte celebrates with USCIB and its dedication spanning seven decades of bringing solutions to the table for economic growth and development. Here’s to making an impact that matters!

© 2015. For more information, contact Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited.

14 USCIB International Business Autumn 2015 www.uscib.org

USCIB member

and staff news

USCIB Welcomes New Director, Customs and Trade FacilitationWe are pleased to announce that Megan M. Giblin joined USCIB as our new director of Customs and Trade Facilitation. Megan brings strong a customs background with nearly a decade of experience in the field. She spent most of her career at HP as a business operations manager for global trade, where she worked on customs and trade policy matters, including trade facilitation. During her time at HP, she worked closely with the ICC Customs Commission and the World Customs Organization. Additionally, Megan served as a cleared advisor to USTR and DOC on the Customs and Trade Facilitation Advisory Committee, which she co-chaired. Further, she has also worked with many of the company representatives that are on USCIB’s Customs Committee including the chair.

USCIB Vice Chair Dennis Nally Begins ICC Leadership TermICC announced the appointment of Dennis Nally, chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers International (PwC) and vice chairman of USCIB, as a new vice chairman of ICC. Nally has served as chairman of PwC since 2009. He is an expert on issues affecting the global capital markets and the professional services profession, and also leads many of PwC’s corporate responsibility efforts. The ICC World Council meeting in July also saw five new appointments to the ICC Executive Board. They were: John Denton (Corrs Chambers Westgarth); Daniel Feffer (Suzano); Robert Gutsche (KPMG); Mari Pangestu (former Trade Minister of Indonesia); Yassin Saeed Al Suroor (Al Suroor United Group).

USCIB’s Meyerstein Reappointed to Key Trade-Labor PanelOn August 25, U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez appointed Ariel Meyerstein to serve another term as member of the National Advisory Committee for Labor Provisions of U.S. Free Trade Agreements (NAC). In this capacity, Meyerstein will serve on a multi-stakeholder Advisory Committee that advises the Secretary of Labor through the Bureau of International Labor Affairs on the implementation of labor provisions in existing U.S. free trade agreements with labor provisions (currently 19). “I’m honored to continue serving in this important role,” said Meyerstein. As a member of the NAC, Meyerstein will help assure that the implementation of existing agreements help to level the playing field for global businesses by continuing to develop U.S. trade partners’ capacity for regulating their own labor markets by assuring for worker protections in line with the standards in U.S. law and policy.

Remembering Bill Matteson, a Longtime USCIB ChampionWe are saddened to report the passing in May of William B. Matteson, a longtime member and supporter of USCIB who served as vice chairman from 1986 to 1999 and also served as chairman of BIAC, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD. A native of Westchester County, New York, Bill graduated from Harvard Law School and clerked for Justice Harold Burton in the United States Supreme Court before joining the Debevoise & Plimpton law firm in 1955, where he went on to become partner in 1961. He headed the Paris office of Debevoise from 1973 to 1976 and was presiding partner of the firm from 1988 to 1993.

New USCIB MembersWe are delighted to welcome the following companies and organizations as the latest additions to USCIB’s diverse membership:

The Chemours Company Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company Jones Day RepsolTo learn more about how USCIB membership can benefit your organization, contact Alison Hoiem (202-682-1291 or ahoiem@uscib.org).

Empowering progress IN SUSTAINABILITY.

Verizon is exploring new ways to leverage our technology to help leave a smaller carbon footprint. We are inspiring smarter energy management practices by helping to educate schools and communities on how to responsibly manage their energy resources, and empowering them to take action to protect and preserve the environment.

©Verizon 2015

Check out our success at verizon.com/responsibility. Share yours @VerizonGiving

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CLIENT: ATT BUSINESS SOLUTIONSPRODUCT: USCIB PRINT AD / 70 YEARSJOB#: P56087SPACE: 4CBLEED: 8.75” x 11.25”TRIM: 8.5” x 11”SAFETY: 7.5” x 10”GUTTER: NonePUBS: NoneISSUE: NoneTRAFFIC: Dorothy GallardoART BUYER: NoneACCOUNT: NoneRETOUCH: Steve LakemanPRODUCTION: Michael MusanoART DIRECTOR: NoneCOPYWRITER: None

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Thanks to USCIB, business can go anywhere. AT&T congratulates USCIB on 70 years of helping business flourish internationally.

©2015 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. All marks used herein are the property of their respective owners.

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1212 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036

november 2015

1 - 3 Miami Thirteenth Annual ICC Miami Conference4 Paris BIAC Trade Committee Meeting4 Paris BIAC Tax Committee Meeting4 Paris BIAC Employment, Labor and Social Affairs Committee Meeting1 - 12 Geneva 325th Session of the ILO Governing Body9 New York USCIB International Leadership Award Dinner10 Paris 6th ICC International Mediation Conference 201510 – 13 João Pessoa, Brazil Internet Governance Forum 201514 – 15 Antalya, Turkey B20 Summit 15 – 16 Ankara, Turkey G20 Leaders’ Summit15 - 17 Manila, Philippines APEC CEO SummitNov 30 - Dec 11 Paris UN Climate Talks (UNFCCC COP21)

december 2015

2 – 4 Paris OECD Committee on Digital Economy Policy Meeting3 – 4 Paris OECD Health Committee Meeting7 Washington, D.C. USCIB Marketing and Advertizing Committee Meeting16 Washington, D.C. USCIB Tax Committee Meeting16 – 18 Geneva UN Forum on Business and Human Rights Nov 30 - Dec 11 Paris UN Climate Talks (UNFCCC COP21)

june 2016

6 Washington, D.C. USCIB Tax Committee Meeting 6 – 7 Washington, D.C. 2016 OECD International Tax Conference

International Business is published quarterly by the United States Council for International Business. It is intended for infor-mational use only and should not be construed as an authoritative statement of USCIB views or policy.

We welcome your comments and submissions E-mail them to news@uscib.org or submit by mail to: Editor, International Business, United States Council for International Business, 1212 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036.

Visit www.uscib.org or see our monthly e-newsletter, “What’s New at USCIB,” for the latest news and information from USCIB and our global business network. USCIB members may also visit our password-protected Members Only section to review materials from USCIB committees and other exclusive information.

How to subscribe: USCIB members may request this publication free of charge by con-tacting USCIB Member Services (212-703-5095, membership@uscib.org). Non-members may subscribe to this and other USCIB print publications for a nominal fee by contacting USCIB Commu-nications (212-703-5063, news@uscib.org).

Editor: Christopher Zoia, Communica-tions Manager, USCIB United States Council for International Business 1212 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10036 Tel: 212-354-4480 Fax: 212-575-0327 Web: www.uscib.org

Copyright © 2015 United States Council for International Business. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1939-8301

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