Abu-Ghazaleh and ICC Executive Board Members Unleash the G20 Campaign

The International Chamber of Commerce headed by its Chairman Mr. Victor K. Fung and its Executive Board members among them Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, chairman and CEO of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization, have unleashed a strategic, coordinated and multi-layer campaign; the ?G20 campaign? in an effort to make a significant impact on the upcoming G20 summit

PARIS --- March 31, 2009 --- With the mission of promoting international trade and investment, the International Chamber of Commerce headed by its Chairman Mr. Victor K. Fung and its Executive Board members among them Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, chairman and CEO of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization, have unleashed a strategic, coordinated and multi-layer campaign; the ?G20 campaign? in an effort to make a significant impact on the upcoming G20 summit.

The key messages of this campaign focus on supporting a multilateral trading system free of protectionism and the availability of trade finance.

As part of this overall campaign, and with the generous financial support of members of ICC?s Executive Board, including the Chairmanship, ICC has placed an advertisement in the global edition the Financial Times which appeared on April 1, 2009, one day ahead of the G20 Summit to be held in London.

In the advertisement, the ICC members stress that ?as the global economic crisis threatens to destroy prosperity and jobs on a massive scale, it is imperative to avoid making the same mistake again.?

In addition, they highly commend the commitment of the G20 countries in Washington last November to refrain from raising new barriers to trade and consider it ?a major step in the right direction and must be strictly observed.?

The members believe that ?this crisis is one of confidence. People everywhere must be shown that the G20 countries can coordinate their individual responses to provide an effective way out of the crisis without further delay and damage to the world economy. International institutions such as the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund and the G20 itself must be strengthened so they can help governments successfully meet the challenge.?

Members of the ICC Chairmanship, Executive Board and National Committees are using their influence with the governments of G20 countries to reinforce ICC?s key messages and to make certain that they reach as wide an audience as possible. These countries include in particular Brazil, China, France, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

In the Advertisement, members call on the G20 leaders to commit to their pledge during the Washington summit last November which is ?to ?strive to reach agreement in 2008 on modalities that leads to a successful conclusion to the Doha Round,? stressing that the time is now for the deal to be done.

Mr. Fung, ICC chairman and chairman of Li & Fung Group, sent a letter to all the members extending his thanks for their continued participation and support for the unique occasion for ICC to be recognized as the voice of global business.