ICC World Chambers Federation strengthens ties with Asia Pacific chamber community

This year’s conference was attended by 300 delegates from 22 countries in the region as well as representatives from the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) World Chambers Federation (WCF).

The two-day conference took place on 17-19 September and gathered business practitioners and policymakers to discuss the region’s economic growth, trade facilitation, entrepreneurship and green growth.

Guido Bolatto, Secretary General of the Torino Chamber, and Sonia Naretto, Project Manager, met with chamber organizations from across the Asian region and extended an invitation to the ICC-WCF 9th World Chambers Congress, a major international forum for chamber leaders to be held on 10-12 June 2015 in Torino, Italy. During a session dedicated to promoting trade facilitation, they also presented their chamber’s role in assisting local companies in improving their trading experiences.

Talking on the challenges of the Post-Quantitative Easing Era: Advancing Trade Liberalization and Regional Synergy, WCF Vice-Chair Mahendra Sanghi said: “It is imperative that CACCI engages with member countries and encourages them to identify areas of mutual importance. There is a need for coordinated efforts and this could be an excellent starting point”.

Mr Sanghi also underlined the future challenges that states will have to face to revive their economies and the consequences of the falling growth rates in major economies on the expansion of global trade and capital flows.

The conference included the 5th Young Entrepreneurship Award which aims to recognize excellent young entrepreneurs in the Asia Pacific region. A jury committee comprising chamber leaders from around the world, including World Chambers Federation (WCF) Executive Committee Member Lee Ju Song, had the difficult task of assessing the top five finalists’ business acumen, involvement in NGO activities, and leadership qualities during their live presentations.

The Award went to Hendy Setiono, Founder and President Director of PT Baba Rafi Indonesia, known as “the world’s biggest kebab chain”.

During the gala dinner, CACCI announced the winners of the 6th Local Chamber Awards. A past finalist of WCF’s World Chambers Competition, the South Urals Chamber of Commerce and Industry from Russia won the “Big Chamber” category, and the San Pablo City Chamber of Commerce and Industry from the Philippines was proclaimed the winner under the “Small Chamber” category. The two chambers were rewarded for their outstanding achievements in promoting the industrial, commercial and social well-being of their respective communities and their contribution to the chamber movement.

During the conference, the CACCI Council elected the office bearers for the term 2014-2016. -Jemal Inaishvili, Board Member of the Georgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was elected CACCI President, replacing Benedicto Yujuico from the Philippines. Mr Inaishvili served as CACCI Vice-President since 2006 and becomes the 25th President of the Confederation since it was first established in 1966.

Mr Inaishvili said: “CACCI will continue to support the consolidation of the chamber network and promote the participation of Asia Pacific chambers to the 9th World Chambers Congress.”

The event was hosted by the Malaysia International Chamber of Commerce and Industry with the support of the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia.

World Chamber Congress website: www.worldchamberscongress.org

CACCI website: www.cacci.org.tw