ICC News

23 March 2021 ICC and Mind the Bridge announced the official launch of the 2021 Corporate Startup Stars competition as part of the MENA Digital Scaleup Summit in Dubai. The official kick off of the 2021 edition of the “Corporate Startup Stars Awards”  was announced today in Dubai  as part of the MENA Digital Scaleup Summit hosted by the Dubai Future Foundation and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA) and supported by the Dubai Chamber, in the presence of ICC Secretary General John W.H. Denton AO and Amy Neale, Senior Vice President, Mastercard (2020 Corporate Startup Star). The celebration of Best Practices

22 March 2021 ICC has announced new additions to its Governing Body for Dispute Resolution Services. New members to the Executive Board subcommittee responsible for ICC Arbitration and ADR will bolster ICC’s commitment to making its leading dispute resolution services more accessible to users in Asia while supporting objectives to digitise services in line with user needs and COVID-19 safety protocols. The new line up also aims to amplify the voice of in-house counsel. Appointed by the ICC Executive Board for a term of two years the three new members of the ICC Governing Body for Dispute Resolution Services, are eminent figures in the

19 March 2021 ICC Secretary General John W.H. Denton AO has issued a statement following news that the G7 will back proposals to provide financial support to help poorer nations recovery from pandemic impact. “I am delighted to see G7 finance ministers heed the longstanding call from global business and workers in committing today to make new financial support available to emerging economies. Fresh liquidity is urgently needed to ensure all governments have the necessary resources to get the spread of Covid-19 under control – as well as providing direct financial support to hard-pressed businesses and families. Kudos to the British

18 March 2021 On Thursday 18 March, ICC Albania launched a new working group which primary focus of work will be the Sustainable Development Goals. This initiative names as Commission on Sustainable Development and Integrity will have as purpose to build dialogue and expertise among representatives from private and public sector, civil society and academia and youth to reinforce responsible business conduct and integrity in their business model. The Commission will focus on three main areas of work; i. Sustainability, ii. Integrity and iii. Circular Economy. This initiative is supported by international partners who have the sustainability agenda central to their

13 March 2021 ICC looks forward to working with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Secretary-General-designate Mathias Cormann to address the world’s pressing policy challenges. After an extensive multi-candidate selection process, Mathias Cormann, Australia’s former Finance Minister, has been confirmed as the next OECD Secretary-General. Since the OECD was founded 60 years ago, ICC has contributed the voice of business to OECD discussions, papers, and policy positions. On Mr Cormann’s appointment, ICC Secretary General John W.H. Denton AO said: “From global trade to the digital economy to environment and energy – the OECD has the tools and resources to inform policymakers

11 March 2021 ICC and Mastercard will work with stakeholders from civil society, business, and government to create an environment that encourages the development and proliferation of interoperable digital health pass solutions to accelerate the global recovery. Today, governments are mostly relying on a range of paper-based processes to determine the COVID-19 test results and vaccine status of travellers. In many cases, these paper certificates can be easily falsified, are difficult to validate, and inconvenient for people to use. ICC and Mastercard believe trusted technology should be at the heart of strategies for reopening societies and bringing travel back safely. To

10 March 2021 ICC has published the latest edition of the ICC Innovation Principles, a guide to the policy frameworks that create and nurture robust innovation ecosystems. The ICC Innovation Principles provide an overview of the policy framework that businesses of all sizes need to innovate. The principles focus on Innovation Ecosystems, in recognition of the complex and interconnected nature of innovative activity. A call is made for multistakeholder conversations in all policy forums that affect these ecosystems, allowing businesses to show the inner workings of innovation. Those innovation ecosystems have been transformed in recent years. From an increased focus on data, to the

10 March 2021 ICC and Finastra join forces to develop a financing marketplace for micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises. ICC and Finastra have committed to a strategic initiative to tackle the growing trade finance gap. Both organisations are orchestrating an ecosystem and exploring the development of a financing marketplace that will provide micro-, small, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with access to a broader set of alternative finance resources in order to help keep the global economy moving forward. The ICC TRADECOMM™ marketplace, powered by Finastra, will reduce trade finance barriers for SMEs and enable all parties to benefit from improvements in matching supply

9 March 2021 ICC Trading Thoughts speaks with Cecilia Malmstrom, the former EU Commissioner for Trade and one of the final OECD Secretary-General candidates. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is celebrating it’s 60 anniversary this year. Since entering into force in 1961, the OECD has played a critical role in advancing multilateral solutions to global challenges. As the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 crisis and other policy challenges, like climate change and global inequality, the OECD is in the process of selecting its next Secretary General. ICC speaks with Cecilia Malmstrom, the former EU Commisoner for

9 March 2021 As part International Women’s Day 2021, ICC’s employees are choosing to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. In recognition of this year’s #ChooseToChallenge theme, ICC employees and staff from around the world are raising their hand to call out gender inequality and celebrate women’s achievements. Shinta Widjaja Kamdani, ICC Executive Board member and CEO of Sintesa Group, joined World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to discuss the importance of ensuring women equitable access to vaccines and trade finance as part of the WTO’s event on Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world. International Women’s