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WHO WE ARE

ICC United Kingdom is the UK branch of ICC, the world’s largest and most influential business organisation.  ICC has a 100-year track record of fostering open, cross border trade, resolving cross-border commercial disputes, and setting best practice international rules for business at the highest levels of global governance, including the United Nations.

ICC represents 45 million companies of all sizes and sectors, employing 1 billion people in over 100 countries. In the UK, ICC represents some of our largest and most successful international companies with large value chains operating in more than 170 overseas markets. We help these companies, and their suppliers create a trading environment that promotes the rule of law and a level playing field for all.

We work closely with business groups, consumers, unions, NGOs, Parliamentarians, governments and institutions such as the World Trade Organization to build consensus and collective action on strategic trade priorities, remove trade barriers, reduce trade risks and costs and enable more people to participate and benefit from global trade.

OUR VISION

ICC was founded on the principle of promoting peace and shared prosperity for all through trade. Today we believe trade must work for both people and planet.

The UK is a founding member of the ICC and has always been at the centre of creating a rules-based, multilateral trading system. We believe the UK should continue to fulfil this role as an outward facing nation, pragmatic trade champion upholding the values of fairness for all and engaged on the issues that matter.

OUR PURPOSE

ICC has three core functions:

  1. Promote inclusive, sustainable, greener trade
  2. Provide rules and standards for international business
  3. Help companies and States settle international disputes

OUR ROLE

ICC is the ‘go to’ organisation for trade policy, rules, and disputes. At international level, ICC has a plethora of formal institutional functions as the only business organisation with UN Observer Status at the UN General Assembly, a Network Partner to G20, strategic business partner to the World Health Organization on Covid 19 and World Trade Organization and as the Business Focal Point to the UN on climate negotiations. Our role is to ensure the voice of business is represented within global governance structures and forums. 

As an international organisation, we provide a unique ability to convene and build national and global alliances around key cross cutting agendas such as tackling the pandemic, climate change, sustainability, and digitalisation.

OUR PRIORITIES

The coronavirus pandemic has shut down markets and slowed down global trade. Our priority is to build back better and promote more inclusive, sustainable and greener trade.

Our 2021 priorities are:

  1. Covid-19. Promote the business case for a fair distribution of vaccines worldwide and safe travel systems through the ICC AOKpass scheme.
  2. Inclusive trade. Tackle inequality and the fair distribution of benefits from trade through the implementation of the governance principles set out in A Trade Model That Works for Everyone and provide an inclusive, sustainable and greener trade framework.
  3. Sustainable Development Goals. Promote the SDGs as the framework for recovery, to level up the UK and build back better.
  4. Climate action. Help companies make the transition to net zero, particularly SMEs through the SME Climate Hub.
  5. Digital Trade. Remove legal barriers and standardise digital trade to create a scalable, interoperable marketplace in which companies worldwide can thrive and grow
  6. Access to Finance. Close the $3-5 trillion trade finance gap through paperless trade agenda and making the case for regulatory reform.