The FINANCIAL — 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 informs.
“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.”
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