US Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke will be
the keynote speaker at the ICC 90th anniversary dinner in New York which is being hosted by ICC’s
national committee, the United States Council for International Business
(USCIB).
ICC is celebrating its 90th anniversary
throughout 2009 with a series of special events around the world, underscoring
the continued importance of its core objective of securing peace and prosperity
through trade. In February, the ICC Research Foundation was launched to
reinforce ICC’s role in providing intellectual leadership on public policy issues, with a focus on global trade
and investment.
“We are delighted that Secretary Locke will
join us to provide his views on the challenges facing global business,” said
USCIB Chairman William G. Parrett, retired global CEO of Deloitte.
Other high-level speakers at the dinner
will include ICC Chairman Victor K. Fung, chairman of the Hong Kong-based Li
& Fung Group, and Bill Schneider, senior political analyst with CNN.
Members of ICC’s Executive Board, representing numerous countries, will join an
audience of business leaders, government officials and representatives of the
diplomatic community.
“ICC’s role has never been more vital or
important than it is today,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter M. Robinson.
“Now more than ever, at a time when concerted global action is needed to
address the worldwide economic downturn as well as longer-term challenges like
climate change, we need a vibrant and representative global business body that
can act forcefully to speak on behalf of the private sector at the highest
levels.”
The dinner will also commemorate the 40th
anniversary of US
membership in the worldwide ATA Carnet system for temporary exports, a key ICC
service. First introduced in the United States in 1969, ATA Carnets
are internationally recognized customs documents that allow for temporary,
duty-free, tax-free import of commercial samples, professional equipment and
goods displayed at trade shows.
In June, USCIB signed a multi-year
agreement with the Commerce Department’s Commercial Service to expand awareness
of ATA Carnets among the nation’s up-and-coming exporters. USCIB, which issues
and guarantees Carnets in the US,
will work with the US Commercial Service to develop educational and training
programmes for smaller companies, with the goal of expanding use of the
innovative “merchandise passports.”
More information, including ticket and
sponsorship pricing, is available at