Trade Association Update: December

Firstly, I hope you are keeping well approaching the end of an exhausting year. We have welcomed our new Director General, Tony Danker, into post last week. Tony is scheduled to join the Q1 Trade Association Council, details of which will be sent out soon. 

As ever, please share this article with colleagues who may be interested in engaging across the CBI. 

The CBI is taking a ‘bifocal’, short and long term, approach to 2021.

As we approach the end of the year, while some chinks of light appear on the horizon, there still remains tremendous uncertainty. The CBI is taking a ‘bifocal’, short and long term, approach to 2021. This coincides with a number of events which will help redefine the UK’s place in the world - the G7, G20 and COP26. 
 
The UK's presidency of the G7 and COP26 (joint with Italy) in particular are real opportunities for members to help shape the recovery, as well as the UK’s global agenda, with business leadership and insight.

The CBI will be leading UK business input into both G7 and G20.

The CBI chaired Business 7 (B7) is the official route for business to advise G7 Ministers. The CBI will be hosting the B7 Global Business Summit in May, just ahead of the G7 Summit, to which we will invite the PM and members of the Cabinet.   

The short-list for policy priorities include:

• Trade, in particular protectionism and WTO
• Digital enabled growth
• Climate Change and Biodiversity
• Health and
• An over-riding theme of Diversity and Inclusion  
  
  

Policy recommendations will aim to be short and aligned closely with G20 and existing CBI priorities. To be part of this process I would encourage you to join the CBI TA Trade working group. Register your interest by emailing Talisha Manku, New Business Opportunities Executive.

Akin to the B7, the B20 will be led by our Italian sister federation Confindustria.  Lord Bilimoria will sit on the Business Advisory Caucus which will advise the B20 Chair Emma Marcegaglia. 

In addition to this, Confindustria has set up 7 Task Forces and 1 Action Council. These Taskforces will develop recommendations for the B20 Summit in Rome on 7th  and 8th October  ahead of G20 in November.

Taskforce topics are:

• Trade and Investment 
• Digital and Innovation 
• Integrity and Compliance 
• Employment and Education 
• Finance and Infrastructure 
• Energy and Resource Efficiency 
• Health and Life Science 
• Action Council on Sustainability and Global Emergencies
  

For further information on the B20, please contact Sean McGuire, CBI Brussels Director.

COP26

The CBI COP26 Campaign has been in development through this year, and a detailed slide deck of objectives, events, CBI initiatives and member opportunities will be shared this month. Further details will come from the COP26 team under James Diggle, Head of Energy and Climate Change.

Get involved

Below is a list of some upcoming opportunities where we would greatly welcome your members input.

• How is your business stepping up for young people?
  We want to hear how your members are supporting youth employability and what more you think government and businesses can do. 
  
  
• Change the Race Ratio campaign
  Join us and to promote this campaign to your members, so that we can Change the Race Ratio for good. 
  
  
• A financial regulatory framework fit for the future
  Join the CBI financial services team on 9 December to discuss HMT’s regulatory framework review. 
  
  
• Take part in the CBI/PwC Financial Services Survey
  We want to hear from financial service companies to capture key trends from a post-pandemic era. 
   

Latest content from across My CBI

• Coronavirus Hub: COVID-19 Winter Plan – what you need to know 
  Understand the key points of the government’s Winter Plan and what it means for your business. 
  
  
• Policy Focus: CBI holds session on Kickstart Scheme with the Employment Minister
  CBI members joined a private discussion with the Employment Minister to discuss the progress of the government’s latest youth employment support scheme. 
  
  
• Ideas Forum: Domestic abuse - a workplace issue
  With a surge in reports of domestic abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic, Acas writes on how firms can support members of the workforce at risk. 
  
  
• Business Intelligence - last week’s CBI @10am recordings: 
  
  
• 25 November: Business rates reform: creating the right conditions for business to rebuild 
  
  
• 23 November: Preparing for the end of transition - spotlight on services

Upcoming events and networking

• Policy Briefing on the CBI/Microsoft Tech Tracker - 10 December
  Join our roundtable discussion to celebrate the launch of the CBI/Microsoft Tech Tracker 2020 report, which shines an important light on the innovation trends and challenges experienced by business, as they wrestle with the uncertainty caused by COVID-19.
  
  
• People and Skills Network: the agenda moving into 2021 - 15 December
  Open to members across the UK, this session will explore businesses' views for 2021 and discuss what extra support is needed from government to navigate these uncertain times. Members will have the opportunity to exchange ideas with industry peers within and beyond their region/nation and sector.

As always, please feel free to get in touch with Henry Alridge, Head of Trade Associations, if there's anything else you'd like to discuss.