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

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

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

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

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

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