17 December 2019 A comprehensive set of principles on how business can facilitate the economic integration of refugees into the global economy was presented by ICC Secretary General John WH Denton AO during the Global Refugee Forum, taking place this week in Geneva from 16-18 December. The Charter seeks to contribute to the shift from ad hoc humanitarianism to long-term development and employment opportunities that benefit refugees and their host communities alike. The Charter of Good Practice on the Role of The Private Sector in Economic Integration

15 December 2019 Climate negotiations concluded today in Madrid, leaving global business deeply disappointed that a deal could not be reached on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. The negotiations – COP25 – marked the longest in history. Yet despite progress on many agenda items – including gender; oceans; land; loss and damages; adaptation; and response measures – governments failed to match the ambitions of business and other stakeholders regarding the operationalisation of  “Article 6” of the Paris Agreement, a crucial missing element of the so-called

10 December 2019 ICC has welcomed the decision taken today by members of the World Trade Organization to renew the longstanding global prohibition on applying customs duties to cross-border data flows. Known as the “WTO e-commerce moratorium”, the agreement – first established in 1998 – has played an important role in the development of the Internet by keeping tariffs off digitally delivered products, services and content. In recent months ICC has warned that a failure to renew this deal would not only add to a damaging pattern

9 December 2019 ICC has published an arbitration practice note relating to the application of a China-Hong Kong arrangement for mutual assistance in court-ordered interim relief measures, under which ICC has been named an authorised institution. The new practice note provides guidance on making an application for interim relief to the People’s Courts of Mainland China in support of arbitral proceedings seated in Hong Kong and administered under the ICC Rules of Arbitration, by the Hong Kong case management office of the Secretariat of the ICC International Court

4 December 2019 The institutional representative of over 45 million businesses has today issued a call for major public policy reforms to scale financing to meet global climate and sustainability challenges. In an open letter to finance ministers, the International Chamber of Commerce has set out a comprehensive 10 point plan to better align the governance of the financial system with the objectives of the 2015 Paris Agreement and the United Nation’s (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The unprecedented intervention from a major business group comes

3 December 2019 The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) united with participants at the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) to pursue meaningful policies aimed at improving digital access for all. At this year’s IGF, ICC brought together business, government, civil society and the technical community to discuss Internet governance through a series of workshops, briefings, and high-level plenary sessions. ICC Secretary General John W.H. Denton AO’s launched a new ICC campaign to make technology work for all and joined ICC members and representatives on the ground in Berlin