Current geopolitical tensions, increasing public scrutiny, overregulation, and the accelerating sustainability agenda are creating uncertainty for businesses worldwide. Now more than ever, the role of ICC is crucial in advocating for open markets, resolving trade frictions, and ensuring that global trade can continue to flow smoothly. Join the conversation - stay informed and engaged as we navigate 2025 together.
As Deputy Secretary General for Policy at ICC Global, Andrew Wilson’s job focuses on any public policy relevant to business. That’s everything from trade to tax, from climate to financial regulation. He carries out this work at a range of different levels: national, EU, but mainly various United Nations bodies such as the WTO. He describes ICC’s role as being “the voice of business in international policymaking, ensuring that what is agreed at the UN or WTO
really meets the needs of local private sectors across the world”. We caught up with Andrew to talk to him about the challenges of geopolitics today: how it affects international trade, the global shift towards isolationism, the impact (if any) of Trump’s secondterm in the White House. In addition to ICC’s response to these issues, we also discussed the various options open to businesses to tackle the trend of increasing unilateralism and protectionism.
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1. Tackling Trade Barriers
Helping businesses navigate and overcome trade frictions.
2. Promoting Access to Justice, Integrity, and Rule of Law
Expanding ICC’s trusted dispute resolution services to ensure fairness and accessibility.
3. Advancing Climate Action and Sustainability
Supporting Dutch businesses in integrating sustainable practices into global trade.
4. Accelerating Trade Digitalization
Leading the shift to electronic trade documents and interoperable digital systems.
5. Strengthening Multilateralism
Amplifying the Dutch voice in global advocacy and policymaking.
ICC Secretary General John Denton recently joined Australia’s Minister to announce the Government of Victoria’s support for the 14th World Chambers Congress (14WCC) and to meet with the local ICC team at the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who are co-hosting the event.
The Congress will take place in Melbourne in September 2025, with registrations opening on 24 January.
Building on our engagement at COP29, ICC Chair Philippe Varin hosted a high-level roundtable in mid-January with OECD ambassadors to discuss policy reforms needed to accelerate climate finance flows to developing economies. This discussion took place ahead of a major OECD conference on sustainable finance and is part of ICC’s strategic dialogue with governments in preparation for the UN Development Financing Summit in June.
As part of this global engagement, Philippe Varin will visit the Netherlands this week for meetings with government officials and ICC members, ensuring close alignment between ICC’s global initiatives and Dutch private and public sector priorities.
Looking ahead, 2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement and will be a crucial year for climate policy, including:
• COP30 negotiations on finance, carbonmarkets, and sustainable trade.
• Business leadership in the global treaty to curb plastics pollution and other key sustainability initiatives.
The global tax landscape is undergoing a significant transformation with the launch of negotiations for a UN Tax Framework Convention in 2025, set to continue until mid-2027. The framework will impact corporate taxation, crossborder tax policies, and compliance requirements for multinational enterprises.
As the UN begins negotiations on early tax protocols, ICC will ensure that business perspectives are represented—particularly regarding:
• Fair allocation of taxing rights for multinational enterprises.
• Avoiding double taxation and ensuring tax certainty for businesses operating globally.
• Aligning new tax rules with existing frameworks to prevent fragmentation and uncertainty.
Join our webinar on 7 March to stay informed about these developments and their implications for businesses.
Discover how mediation transforms dispute resolution, fostering quicker, confidential, and collaborative solutions. Gain practical insights into key techniques like active listening and reframing, and learn how mediation integrates with broader conflict resolution strategies.
Join us as we kick off the theme for the 2025 Week of Integrity: A Culture of Integrity. This session will bridge our 2024 and 2025 themes, connecting integrity, culture, and sustainability in today’s global business environment. Special Guest: Ineza Umuhoza (Rwanda), Global Coordinator of the Loss and Damage Youth Coalition. .
The UN Tax Framework Convention negotiations will shape global tax policies for years to come. With discussions set to continue until 2027, this framework will define how international taxation is governed, including corporate tax, cross-border services taxation, and measures against tax avoidance.
With the participation of Vice-chair ICC Global Tax Commission Thomas Quatrevalet, and Angie Clocheret from the Belgian Ministry of Finance.
Join the Launch Event for WISE
Are you looking to develop leadership skills, expand your network, or support gender diversity in business? Whether you’re a woman professional seeking growth or an organization looking to strengthen leadership opportunities, this event is for you.
Many leadership programs focus on soft skills, but WISE (Women in Strategic Engagements) goes further—providing the hard skills and strategic knowledge needed to succeed in leadership roles.
Since its first publication in 1937, the ICC Advertising and Marketing Communications Code has served as the gold standard for responsible advertising. Recognized and implemented by self-regulatory bodies in over 40 countries, it provides a global framework for ethical marketing practices. The Code helps businesses maintain trust with consumers, ensure compliance with regulations, and adapt to evolving challenges in the advertising landscape.
As marketing evolves with new technologies and consumer expectations, ICC continues to update and expand its guidance to promote transparency, fairness, and integrity in advertising worldwide.
Discover the work of the commission and download the Dutch code.
The ICC Arbitration and ADR Commission plays a pivotal role in shaping global dispute resolution standards, ensuring businesses have access to efficient, fair, and enforceable solutions. As international trade grows increasingly complex, ICC’s dispute resolution services— including arbitration, mediation, expert determination, and dispute boards— help companies navigate conflicts without resorting to lengthy court proceedings.
One of the fastest-growing areas in dispute resolution is mediation, offering businesses a cost-effective, timeefficient, and collaborative approach to resolving disputes. To explore the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities in mediation, we spoke with Jeremy Lack, a leading expert in the field.
During an interview with a student a few weeks ago, I was reminded of why this year’s theme is so important. Coming from a very international study program, her teacher posed a simple question: Would you call the police? The answers were anything but uniform. Depending on their cultural backgrounds, the students’ trust in law enforcement varied significantly.
This reminded me of an experience I had a few years ago while traveling to Vietnam. I was waiting for my colleague to pick me up at the hotel to visit a supplier’s office. Hours passed without any updates, and I grew increasingly frustrated by the apparent waste of time. Eventually, she arrived and explained what had happened. She had been stopped by a police officer who demanded a bribe to
let her pass. When she refused, he took her to the station and made her wait for hours, only to release her without any fine or formal charge.
At the time, I couldn’t understand why she didn’t pay. I thought, She can’t change the system by refusing to pay a small bribe if this is standard practice. But for her, staying true to her principles and refusing to participate in corrupt behavior was more important. That experience left a lasting impression on me and reinforced why promoting integrity in both the public and private sectors is essential. Even in the Netherlands, where such overt corruption might not be common, the challenges around integrity—such as fostering trust and accountability— remain pressing.
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