Paris, 27 June 2016 – In response to the skills shortages many economies face, BIAC released today a “Business Priorities for Education” paper that calls for stronger cooperation among employers, policymakers, and education institutions. 

“Our societies, and employers in particular, have a profound interest in ensuring that today’s and tomorrow’s jobseekers are versatile, skilled, and employable,” commented Charles Fadel, Chair of the BIAC Education Committee. “They must be prepared to learn throughout their professional lives,” 

Businesses therefore pay close attention to education policy. The competitiveness of companies, and the health of the societies in which they operate, hinge to a great extent on the talent and knowledge of employees.

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Cancún, 21 June 2016 – In the wake of the OECD Ministerial meeting on the Digital Economy on 22-23 June, 2016 in Cancún, BIAC, together with the Mexican business federation COPARMEX, hosted a Business Stakeholder day dedicated to Unleashing the Benefits of Innovation in the Global Information Society. Close to 30 speakers and 300 business and government delegates were in attendance.

 

In his opening remarks, BIAC Secretary General Bernhard Welschke called for comprehensive measures to foster the growth potential of the digital economy. “Innovation is the key driver of growth for our economies and societies,” Welschke said. Ambassador Pérez-Jácome, the Mexican Ambassador from the permanent delegation of Mexico to the OECD, emphasized that “creating the conditions to foster innovation, investment and labor mobility is crucial to grasp the benefits of the digital economy.” The Mexican Vice Chair of BIAC, José Ignacio Mariscal Torroella, also pointed to the importance of the digital economy for the growth potential and role of Mexico in the global economy.

 

Business participants from a variety of sectors and countries discussed the 6 framework conditions for success in the digital economy and information society: Infrastructure, Innovation, Information flows, Intellectual capital, Investment and Integration, also highlighting the importance of skills matching and skills availability for the digital economy.

 

In parallel to the stakeholder conference, together with the Mexican Ministry of Economy and with the support of the OECD, BIAC hosted a Hackathon featuring the theme “Connected Communities, Connected Lives.” Teams of up to 5 young developers competed to develop internet applications and digital solutions in the areas of Cultural Heritage, Smart City, Social Inclusion and Entrepreneurship. The event was made possible with the generous support of AT&T, Cisco, Disney, Google, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Verisign, and the Internet Technical Advisory Committee to the OECD (ITAC).

 

About BIAC:

BIAC speaks for business at the OECD. Established in 1962, we stand for policies that enable businesses of all sizes to contribute to growth, economic development, and prosperity. Through BIAC, national business and employers federations and their members provide expertise to the OECD and governments for competitive economies, better business, and better lives.

 

For more information, contact Ali Karami-Ruiz, BIAC Director, Policy and Communications.

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Paris, 1 June 2016 –Addressing the annual OECD Ministerial Council Meeting, BIAC Chairman Phil O’Reilly pointed to the pressing need to implement structural reforms for the competitiveness and productivity of our economies.

“Governments must recognize the fundamental role of entrepreneurship and open markets if we want to lift the growth potential of our economies, strengthen productivity, and as a consequence create more jobs,” said O’Reilly.

The “10 Business Recommendations for Productivity, Prosperity, and Inclusive Growth” BIAC submitted to the OECD Ministers are available online: https://t.co/Rjg9hxrrpq

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Paris, 31 May –  “Our economies depend on more comprehensive, consistent, and coordinated G20 and B20 action to enhance SME financing in global value chains”, said Phil O’Reilly, BIAC Chairman, addressing government and business representatives at the OECD Headquarters in Paris.

Building on earlier work undertaken during the Turkish G20 Presidency last year, BIAC today convened a roundtable on Financing SMEs in Global Value Chains, co-hosted with the OECD, B20 China, World SME Forum, and SME Finance Forum.

Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for the vast majority of businesses, employment and value-add worldwide, but millions of them lack the financing they need to invest, trade, innovate, and create new jobs.

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Paris, 30 May 2016—On the occasion of its annual General Assembly, BIAC celebrated the 40th anniversary of the OECD Declaration on International Investment and Multinational Enterprises (MNEs), a policy commitment by adhering governments to promote an open and transparent environment for international investment and encourage the positive contribution multinational enterprises can make to economic and social progress.

“The Declaration is a key instrument for business as it commits adhering countries to improve the investment climate, while companies are encouraged to apply the standards of responsible business conduct as set out in the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises,” said Bernhard Welschke, BIAC Secretary General.

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Paris, 3 May 2016—The Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD (BIAC) today convened a high-level Forum to identify the central role for business as partners in bringing innovative solutions in health and well-being.

The Forum, moderated by Riz Khan, saw senior representatives from government, the OECD, and the private sector, as well as leading experts in health and well-being, working together  to improve understanding of current global health challenges and identify effective policy recommendations. They called on the OECD to strengthen public-private dialogue  to  improve health outcomes by encouraging partnerships  that  leverage  innovation  in  business  to  prevent and reduce disease risk factors.

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Paris, 8 April 2016—“Private sector efforts to strengthen the global food system ultimately hinge on government policies that uphold the virtues of open and competitive markets for agricultural trade, investment, and innovation,” commented Mr. Metin Akman, Chair of the BIAC Food and Agriculture Committee, at the OECD Meeting of Agriculture Ministers on 7-8 April in Paris.

This meeting occurred at a time where the global food system must serve ever more people, address shifting consumer preferences, cope with unpredictable changes in climate, and compete for limited natural resources.

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Paris, 22 March 2016 –The Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD (BIAC) points to the crucial role of cross-border data flows for the recovery and future of the global economy.  In a paper released today BIAC calls on the OECD and governments to develop policies and regulatory frameworks that address concerns for security and privacy in the least trade distorting way.

“Governments must avoid restricting trade through data localization measures”, said Clifford Sosnow, Chair of the BIAC Trade Committee and Partner with the law firm Fasken Martineau LLP.  “Considering the importance of this issue for competitive markets, this paper offers recommendations to address the impact of data localization and at the same time deal with privacy and security concerns.” 

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Paris, 16 March 2016 –The Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD (BIAC) actively participated in the OECD Ministerial which brought together Ministers from the 41 State Parties as well as other key partner countries to the Anti-Bribery Convention. BIAC called for close private sector involvement in an ambitious OECD strategy to fight corruption and bribery.

“BIAC recognizes the OECD’s strong capacity to work horizontally in the fight against foreign bribery”, said Klaus Moosmayer of Siemens, who chairs the BIAC Task Force on Anti-Corruption/Bribery. “Close public-private cooperation is essential to effectively curb foreign bribery and provide a real level playing field for international business.”

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Paris, 19 February 2016 – BIAC welcomes the steps and measures agreed today by governments at the High-Level Meeting of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) to enable greater private sector investment in developing markets.

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