Through the ICC Business World Trade Agenda, business leaders can contribute concrete proposals towards a forward-looking trade and investment policy agenda.
Improving the capacity of the WTO to expand the international rules for trade and investment is a necessary condition for creating an effective 21st century rules-based multilateral system that generates growth and jobs. For these reasons, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), in partnership with Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, launched ICC Business World Trade Agenda. This private sector initiative aims to mobilize business to provide a practical and forward-looking trade and investment policy agenda that will contribute to economic growth and job creation.
Global business in uniquely placed to recognize and identify areas where multilateral trade rules have been superceded by 21st century trading realities. Business is also positioned to suggest where innovative solutions to overcome the current obstacles in trade negotiations may be found.
Business leaders – CEOs, corporate executives, and representatives of business organizations – in the presence of WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy launched ICC’s WTA initiative at a trade policy conference at the WTO in Geneva in March 2012. Participants began the work of defining the elements of a business world trade agenda, underscoring business’ collective will to move global trade talks out of the current deadlock. ICC hopes that these proposals represent a pragmatic, business-like approach to reaching agreements at the WTO.
ICC has been leading the global business community with initiatives, including the ICC World Trade Agenda and the ICC G20 Advisory Group, which encourage dialogue between business and government in a bid to establish practical policies for opening trade and investment.
The ICC Executive Board fully endorses this high-level initiative, which is further encouraged by the expressions of support it has received from the WTO and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) for the World Trade Agenda initiative. The World Trade Agenda business priorities also feed into the G20 policy process, with the aim of strenghtening the trade and investment policy components of the G20 agenda.