ICC News

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

10 June 2020 ICC is calling upon governments to resolve customs challenges faced by small businesses by adopting concrete measures. COVID-19 has severely disrupted supply chains around the world with businesses of all sizes still coming to grips with border closures, trade restrictions, travel bans, and necessary public lockdowns. Despite the gradual re-opening of many economies, formidable logistical challenges remain and are likely to become the “new normal” for businesses. In response to these uncertain trade conditions created by COVID-19, ICC is calling upon governments and customs authorities to adopt concrete measures designed specifically to help small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

5 June 2020 On the occasion of World Environment Day, ICC and the Exponential Roadmap Initiative, with the support of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), have announced a new partnership – “The SME Exponential Race to Zero”. The partnership will explore the development of a global platform to help small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) build business resilience by providing them with concrete climate action support and financial resources necessary to thrive in a post-COVID-19 world. Building on the Exponential Roadmap’s 1.5°C Business Playbook and ICC’s Chambers Climate Coalition network, the new initiative seeks to help SMEs build business resilience by providing them

2 June 2020 Ahead of the launch of the International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC) Global Survey on Trade Finance later this month, BNY Mellon’s Global Head of Trade Finance Product and Portfolio Management, Joon Kim, explains how banks are showcasing their resilience throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, in his guest blog for the world business organization. Joon Kim, Global Head of Trade Finance Product and Portfolio Management, BNY Mellon Treasury Services As industries go, trade is not typically known for being nimble. Yet, the unprecedented circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic are forcing the hand of those in global trade, and

28 May 2020 ICC Chair Paul Polman addressed a high-level United Nations event on financing for development today, underscoring the business imperative to ensure universal access to COVID-19 supplies and continued fiscal interventions to protect lives and livelihoods. Convened by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau and Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness, the virtual High-Level Event on Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond sought to advance concrete solutions to the development emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking on behalf of 45 million businesses as Chair of the International Chamber of Commerce,

27 May 2020 As business associations see an uptick in fake documentation to obscure the origin of counterfeit products due to the global health crisis, Swiss, Italian and French chambers of commerce are the latest members to enter the International Certificate of Origin (CO) Accreditation Chain managed by ICC’s World Chamber Federation (WCF). International Certificate of Origin Accreditation Chain – Official mark The approval was made during an ICC WCF International CO Accreditation Committee meeting, which was held virtually on 19 May 2020. With their newly established status as accredited members of the International CO Accreditation Chain, 70 French chambers, 18 Swiss chambers and the Chamber

25 May 2020 ICC has today launched the ICC AOKpass Declaration on COVID-19 Health Data Protection. Launched on General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Day – in celebration of the landmark data privacy protection laws in the European Union – the Declaration signals a bold vision for a post-COVID-19 world, working together for recovery, prosperity and the upholding of health data protection as a basic human right. The Declaration expressly supports placing strict health data privacy at the core of COVID-19 compliance standards and verification systems, vital for recovery efforts. ICC is leading the Declaration as the world’s largest not-for-profit business institution,

22 May 2020 ICC has today announced its support for a multistakeholder initiative calling on policymakers, regulators and remittance services providers to improve migrants’ access to remittance services and reduce transfer costs during the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Led by the Governments of Switzerland and the United Kingdom, the call to action, Remittances in Crisis – How to Keep Them Flowing, is supported by the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), as well as the World Bank, the International Organization of Migration (IOM), the International Association of Money Transfer Networks (IAMTN) and the Global

20 May 2020 ICC has warned that proactive government interventions will be needed to ensure the market can power an economic rebound in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. ICC estimates a possible US$ 5 trillion of trade credit will be needed to enable a rapid recovery from the COVID-19 crisis Business body warns that trade financing gaps risk hampering a global recovery – impacting the survival chances of small businesses Despite early scaling of support measures in response to COVID-19, further public backing for trade credit needed to prime conditions for a trade-driven economic rebound In a new paper issued today, ICC