Dear Members and Friends:
I am delighted to share with you our new Annual Report: Gateways and Connections (2021-2022). The report highlights our achievements in the past year as society continues its rebound from COVID and I encourage you to open it up and take a look.
Factors that contributed to our success include our global reach, our gateway access to multilateral institutions, our unique affiliations with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), International Organization of Employers (IOE) and Business at OECD (BIAC), along with our consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council and other UN agencies, our role as trusted interlocuter with the U.S. Administration, and our convening power to advance the interests of our members.
Our interface with multilateral institutions has allowed us to be on the ground, advocating on behalf of our members in a wide range of international negotiations and policy discussions on issues including investment, trade policy and customs; climate, sustainability, biodiversity, and plastics pollution; global tax standards; digital economy; labor, corporate responsibility and human rights; the list goes on. Throughout the year, we have continuously made the case for the need for business to be involved in and have a seat at the table in such discussions. For that reason, and looking ahead to 2023, we launched the Moving the Needle Initiative to advance business leadership in the multilateral system as aligned with the UN priorities of Solutions for Sustainability, Science, and Solidarity.
USCIB's advocacy work was given important thought leadership support by The USCIB Foundation, which continued its recent legacy programs such as the Business Partners to Convince (BP2C) vaccine literacy project and initiated new programs in areas such as research on improving labor compliance in developing countries, role of business in sustainable workplaces, reimaging globalization, and privacy guidelines on emerging technology.
Along with our active advocacy and thought leadership work, we retained a strong membership base and a concurrent rebound of our ATA Carnet export service, thus helping our financial position to be well on the way to recovery.
It is amid these successes and the strong programming and financial positioning of USCIB that I announce my retirement. I will be stepping down as of June 30, 2023, after many years in various positions at USCIB.
It has been a great privilege to serve as President and CEO since 2005, and to have had the experience of working with such an exceptional team of members and staff. As I look back on my tenure, I believe USCIB has become an institution that is looked to and relied upon by our members, the wider business community, and policymakers around the world. We could not have done it without you.
A search process has been initiated and will be led by USCIB’s Chair Eric Loeb and other board members. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts, questions, hopes and aspirations for USCIB directions in the future.
Best wishes for the holiday season and beyond,
Peter M. Robinson
