ICC News

15 July 2020 Violent attacks against ships and their crews have risen in 2020, with 77 seafarers taken hostage or kidnapped for ransom since January, reveals the ICC International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) latest piracy report. The Gulf of Guinea off West Africa is increasingly dangerous for commercial shipping, accounting for just over 90% of maritime kidnappings worldwide. Meanwhile ship hijackings are at their lowest since 1993. In total, IMB’s Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) recorded 98 incidents of piracy and armed robbery in the first half of 2020, up from 78 in Q2 2019. The increasing threat of piracy adds to hardships

13 July 2020 ICC, ITUC and Global Citizen call for greater action by G20 Governments on sovereign debt relief. In an open letter issued today, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the institutional representative of over 45 million businesses, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the global voice of the world’s working people, and Global Citizen, a movement of engaged citizens who use their collective voice to end extreme poverty by 2030, have urged G20 Finance Ministers to build on previous efforts to deliver a truly comprehensive sovereign debt package at their meeting later this week. The letter builds on an earlier

10 July 2020 The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) will discuss the potential of digital technologies for development and building back better from the current crisis, as part of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2020. In the early 2000s, the Geneva Plan of Action, agreed during the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), identified eighteen areas of activity in which governments, civil society entities, businesses and international organizations could work together to achieve the potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for development. ICC was part of these early discussions and for years rallied businesses across sectors

1 July 2020 The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) joins the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and other partner organisations to launch a major survey to understand the unique challenges faced by small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in least-developed countries (LDCs). The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the Global Alliance PME (GAPME), Concordia, Columbia University-Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences, and Business Africa convened several consultative meetings in May and June 2020. The institutions expressed their shared and profound concern over the precarious state of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in so

26 June 2020 The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has released a toolkit to ensure responsible and compliant advertising self-regulation. Advertising and marketing self-regulation is a framework by which the advertising, marketing, agency, and media industry set voluntary rules and standards of practice complementing and enhancing existing general framework laws and regulations. In many countries, self-regulatory organisations are established to enforce the industry’s commitment to these rules. Recognising the lack of common understanding on how self-regulation and advertising concepts work in practice, ICC has published a toolkit comprised of key messages and practical examples to provide relevant stakeholders with a clear picture of

25 June 2020 As government services become more and more digitalised, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has released a set of practice principles for the implementation of continuous transaction controls (CTCs). This week, ICC published a set of practice principles for the implementation of CTCs. Never heard of them? While you wouldn’t be alone, CTCs are playing an increasing role in the way governments determine how much tax companies should pay – and, moreover, may be soon be used to monitor compliance in a range of other areas. What are CTCs? Over the years, as digital technology has become more widely available,

23 June 2020 ICC has elected MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga as Chair.  Mr Banga, who has served as ICC’s First Vice-Chair since June 2018, becomes ICC Chair with immediate effect, succeeding Paul Polman who becomes ICC Honorary Chair, having served as Chair for the past two years. The election of Mr Banga during the ICC World Council, held annually, also confirmed Maria Fernanda Garza, CEO of Orestia and current Board member, as ICC First Vice-Chair – making her the first woman to hold this position. Seven members have also been elected to the ICC Executive Board, strengthening leadership at ICC with augmented geographic, ethnic and gender diversity. Prior to joining

18 June 2020 Today, IE University together with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) launched the “IE Smart Trade Venture Day”, a global challenge that seeks to support innovative projects after the impact of COVID-19. The Competition is particularly geared to startups with a focus on trade digitalisation, health, supply chain resilience, trade finance and any other issues relevant to helping small- and medium-sized (SMEs). The initiative aims to promote projects that can contribute to the global business environment and encourage new solutions to the trade and supply chain landscape. The on-going global health crisis has made it clear that many

15 June 2020 ICC is committed to helping small businesses impacted by COVID‑19. We’re highlighting seven digital business resources to help micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) during this unprecedented period and beyond. Whether you are looking for new ways to go global or interested in finding a neutral framework for your contractual relationships without the cost of a lawyer, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has a variety of dedicated digital tools to support and guide small businesses in the face of the worst health and economic crisis of our time. To help Save Our SMEs, ICC is offering a range of essential

11 June 2020 ICC joins United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to launch the Roadmap for Digital Cooperation. Today, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres issued his report, Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, in response to the recommendations provided by the High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation. The Roadmap calls upon the global community to address issues such as digital connectivity, digital inclusion, human rights, artificial intelligence, and trust and security, as well as digital cooperation mechanisms and models. Ensuring meaningful digital access for all For years, business has advocated for the potential of digital technologies to act as catalysts for accelerated implementation of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As the