International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)

ICC supports the work of international organizations such as the World Trade Organization and the United Nations. The United Nations granted the International Chamber of Commerce observer status in 2016, which marked the first time a business organization had been accepted as an observer at the United Nations General Assembly. ^{3 4}

Background

The International Chamber of Commerce, originally called “Merchants of Peace,” was founded in 1919 just after World War I by a group of industrialists, financiers, and traders. The group’s International Court of Arbitration was formed in 1923. ^{3 5}

The organization has several national committees which prospective members must join to become a part of the network. ⁶

ICC’s governing body is its World Council, which is “the equivalent of the general assembly of a major intergovernmental organization.” The organization’s leadership, consisting of the chair, honorary chair, and vice-chairs, form the chairmanship, while its secretary general, who is chosen by the World Council, leads the international secretariat. ^{7 8}

The organization states that it “plays a vital role in scaling widespread action on Sustainable Development Goals,” a set of 17 policy goals that were adopted by all United Nations member states in 2015 as a part of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals include 169 policy targets and focus on issues including climate action, gender issues, energy production, government institutions, education issues, and global poverty. ^{1 9 10}

People

Maria Cattaui worked as the secretary general of the International Chamber of Commerce from 1996 to 2005. Before joining ICC, Cattaui worked at the World Economic Forum (WEF), a business league best known for organizing annual meetings of international business and political leaders in Davos, Switzerland under the direction of its founder and executive director, University of Geneva business professor Klaus Schwab. ¹¹

Cattaui worked at the World Economic Forum for nearly 20 years and reached the level of managing director, where she was responsible for the WEF’s annual meeting. Cattaui sits on the board of directors of the Open Society Foundations, a private grantmaking foundation created and funded by billionaire financier and liberal philanthropist George Soros.¹¹