World Chambers Federation
WCF strengthens ties with Asian chambers
The Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CACCI) successfully held its 25th Conference in Istanbul, Turkey with a turnout of more than 150 delegates from 27 CACCI countries. Special guests at the event included ICC World Chambers Federation (WCF) Chairman Rona Yircali.
During the event, Rona Yircali and the WCF team met with chamber organizations from across the Asian region in a bid to strengthen the global chamber network and to garner insight into chamber needs in the region.
“Improving our understanding of the needs and ambitions of the chamber network is an integral part of WCF’s work,” said Mr Yircali. “Regular contact and dialogue with members in all parts of the world is essential.”
Mr Yircali also met with Ambassador Benedicto Yujuico,President of CACCI, which was founded in 1966. This transnational network of national chambers of commerce covers 29 countries across the Asia-Pacific region and includes three million companies. WCF and CACCI have been cooperating on a regular basis since cementing global ties in a memorandum of understanding, signed in December 1984.
They also work closely on respective chamber awards programmes and international trade facilitation training. CACCI plays an important role in WCF’s General Council, as well as the WCF Transnational Chamber Board.
Mr Yircali, during his meetings with Mr Yujuico, paid tribute to this long-standing relationship and commended CACCI for having remained true to its core mission of developing business and trade for its members.
“With the challenges that lie ahead, it’s critical that CACCI and ICC WCF work even more closely to support our chamber of commerce community and their small and medium enterprise members,” he said. CACCI is currently cooperating with the ICC Banking Commission, to conduct a series of two-day workshops on UCP 600 and Incoterms 2010 in Vietnam and the Philippines in late March and early April.
Mr Yircali encouraged CACCI members and other delegates to attend the upcoming World Chambers Congress in Mexico City in June.
CACCI’s 25th Conference is being organized in cooperation with the Union of Turkish Chambers & Commodity Exchanges (TOBB), a member of CACCI as well as the ICC World Chambers Federation. The TOBB is the largest nonprofit business organization in Turkey, covering 365 Chambers and Commodity Exchanges, representing 1.3 million companies.
