USCIB Represents US Business Interests at the 2026 OECD Ministerial Council Meeting

USCIB Vice Chair and Chair of the Trade and Investment Committee, Rick Johnston (Citi), in his role as Chair of Business at OECD (BIAC), led BIAC's exchange with Ministers at the 2026 OECD Ministerial Council Meeting (MCM) June 3-4 in Paris. Johnston emphasized that long-term growth and competitiveness depend on open markets, fair competition, sound regulation, and stable policy frameworks. Whitney Baird, President and CEO at USCIB, also made remarks and represented US business interests, including on a panel discussing OECD investment standards and policies.

BIAC hosted three side events, including one on innovation leadership in life sciences, which featured USCIB members Olga Mironenko Stampfer (UnitedHealth Group and Chair, BIAC's Health Committee) and Leonie Völker (Johnson & Johnson). Other BIAC events covered OECD investment standards and policies and the release of BIAC's 2026 Spring Economic Policy Survey. The survey found that business sentiment remains constrained by persistent geopolitical uncertainty, renewed inflationary pressures, and high energy prices, while highlighting investment in human capital as a key driver of future growth.

MCM convened more than 70 representatives from OECD members and non-member countries, international organizations, and the private sector under the theme, Getting Industrial Policies Right for Open Markets, Growth and Prosperity.

MCM also featured the launch of several important OECD reports and products, including:

• The Manufacturing Groups and Industrial Corporations (MAGIC) database, which encourages evidence-based industrial policy solutions to the question of market distortive-subsidies
• 2026 Economic Outlook Under Pressure, downgrading global growth forecasts due to the energy crisis caused by the conflict in the Middle East
• Smart Regulations, Strong Business: Enabling Growth and Societal Protection in a Fast-Changing World, quantifying the economic impact of burdensome and duplicative regulation and promoting targeted simplification, data-driven approaches, and cross-sectoral stakeholder engagement in regulatory policy reform
• OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible AI, providing practical guidance for businesses implementing the OECD standards on Responsible Business Conduct and OECD AI Principles