Global chambers of commerce, industry associations call for joint efforts to safeguard economic and social orders amid COVID-19

Source:The People's Daily Published: 2020/4/9 17:22:54

File Photo:GT


On April 8, Chinese news website Huanqiu and the organizing committee of the Belt and Road Global Chambers of Commerce and Associations Conference proposed a joint initiative in fighting the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and safeguarding economic and social orders amid the epidemic.

Joint Initiative for Global Chambers of Commerce and Industry Associations to Enhance Cooperation on the Fight Against COVID-19 and Jointly Safeguard Global Economic and Social Orders, the initiative, launched in collaboration with 36 international chambers of commerce and industry associations, with more currently joining.

As the COVID-19 epidemic is exacerbating, with international economy and trade severely impacted, global chambers of commerce and industry associations should give full play to the strength of social organizations, while making concerted efforts to maintain normal global economic order, according to the initiative.

The 36 international chambers of commerce and industry associations agreed when the pandemic is over, they will continue to host major international conferences and events, in a bid to establish international cooperation platforms for commodity exhibition and transaction, economic and trade negotiation, product release, and technology and information exchanges.

They will continue to gather advantageous resources across the globe, injecting positive energy while creating new driving forces for global economic recovery and social development, according to the consensus. 

The full text of the joint initiative is as follows:


Joint Initiative for Global Chambers of Commerce and Industry Associations to Enhance Cooperation on the Fight Against COVID-19 and Jointly Safeguard Global Economic and Social Orders

The globally exacerbating COVID-19 pandemic is currently posing serious threats for people’s lives and health, creating severe challenges for global public health security, and storing up huge troubles for the world economy. In order to give play to international chambers of commerce and industry associations, enhance their confidence and solidarity, as well as jointly safeguard the normal economic orders of the world, we hereby make the following pledge:

1. The COVID-19 pandemic respects no borders, and major infectious diseases remain a public enemy of all human beings that live in a community with a shared future. We shall up hold the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind regardless of races, religions and nationalities, discard obstinacy, disputes and prejudices, replace misunderstanding with confidence, defeat panic with science, and inject powerful positive energy into the global fight against COVID-19 with cooperation and solidarity.

2. We support countries to make emergency plans and strategies to cope with the pandemic according to their own national conditions, which address both the spread of the virus and the treatment of patients. We support scientific research institutes and medical organizations to enhance cooperation on tracing, development of drugs and vaccines, as well as testing, share data and information, and strive for effective results in the shortest time by making full use of modern technologies.

3. Some countries are currently suffering the impacts from the pandemic on their production and consumption, and witnessing reduced trade activities. The increasing downward pressure on global economy will also possibly lead to sluggish external demand and shrinkage of foreign orders for enterprises around the world in the time to come. We shall proactively urge our governments to issue relevant supportive policies and focus on the fiscal, financial and export credit insurance measures permitted by the WTO, so as to secure the markets and orders for affected enterprises and guide them to prepare for risks.

4. We call on global chambers of commerce and industry associations to improve the sense of social responsibility, lead enterprises to offer active support for pandemic control, protect vulnerable groups and SMEs with targeted measures and their advantages in information, unity and influence, encourage the roles of non-government organizations and volunteers, and jointly safeguard the global financial market, the stability of industrial and supply chains, as well as unimpeded trade, so as to avoid a global recession.

5. We firmly believe and hope that the human society will always progress with vitality, and the steps of development will remain ceaseless. When the pandemic is over, we will keep hosting major international conferences and events, such as the Belt and Road Global Chambers of Commerce and Associations Conference, in a bid to establish international cooperation platforms for commodity exhibition, trade negotiation, product launches, and tech & info sharing, gather advantageous commercial and trade resources of the world, and drive the global recovery and social development.

We, global chambers of commerce and industry associations, as a force of the society, promise to maintain close communication during this special period of time, showcase the leadership of chambers of commerce and enterprises, and inject social power into the global anti-pandemic fight. As long as the international society firms up confidence, offers mutual assistance, applies science-based policies and adopts targeted measures, it will finally achieve the victory over COVID-19. It is believed that after the crisis, the world will become a more solid community with a shared future for mankind, and the human beings will embrace a brighter future.

The 36 international chambers of commerce are:

1.AustCham

2.Oesterreichisch Chinesische Gesellschaft fuer internationale Wirtschaftsfoerderung

3.Austria-China Enterprise Exchange Association

4.Chinese Enterprises Association in Botswana

5.Investors of Cambodia Chinese Association

6.Wenzhou Enterprise Chamber of Commerce in Beijing

7.Chinese Health Association

8.China Non-Governmental Science Technology Entrepreneurs Association

9.Association Des Industries Sino-Francaises

10.German International Entrepreneur Association Representative Office In China

11.BELT AND ROAD ASSOCIATES from GREECE

12.Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI)

13.IsCham

14.Association of Belt and Road Malaysia

15.Mexican Association of Chinese Enterprises

16.Mongolia-China Trade Promotion Association

17.China Chamber of Commerce in Mozambique

18.Rahim yar khan Chamber of Commerce and Industry

19.The Russian-Asian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs

20.Singapore Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China

21.South-Africa China Economic and Trade Association

22.Asociación de la Nueva Ruta de la Seda

23.China-Sweden Business Council

24.Tanzania Chamber of Commerce and Industry

25.International-Thai Business Association

26.American International Chamber of Commerce

27.Mexican Chamber of Commerce in China

28.US China Chamber of Commerce

29.Africa-China Cooperation and Development Investment Association

30.China-Arab Countries Trade Promotion Association

31.Belt and Road Australia General Chamber of Commerce

32.Benelux Chamber of Commerce in China

33.European American Chamber of Commerce and Industry

34.World international Brand Development Committee

35.Association Aise Europe Afrique Pour la promotion du Commerce et de l’lnvestissement

36.Association China-Lusophony-Ibero-America-Caribbean

Posted in: SOCIETY

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