Conference programme

Location: USITC, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436 - Main Hearing Room

Programme:
•    Welcome from Chairman or a Commissioner
•    Overview of the Commission
•    Tariff Affairs Office Presentation and Discussion
•    Supply Chain Research Presentation and Discussion
•    Chief Administrative Law Judge 
•    Office of Unfair Import Investigations  
Each part of the programme will allow an opportunity for Q/A.
 
Further information regarding how to register for the tour will be provided. 
 
Please arrive on the day between 1440 – 1455 to allow for security procedures. 
All non US citizens are required to present a valid: government-issued (US or Foreign) photo identification (ID) card; Intelligence Community badge; PIV card; state, territory, or District of Columbia issued drivers’ license (that must be compliant with the Real ID Act of 2005 after October 1, 2021); passport. 
 

The audience will be divided into five discussion groups for this session to address the following relevant sub-topics:

1 Machine to Machine (M2M) Economy – pros and cons of automated sales and payments in the Internet of Things (IoT)
2 Supply chain in the metaverse; thinking new business models for interconnected procurement, services and product development
3 Implications of smart manufacturing: news for distribution, intellectual property and competition. 
4 Practical challenges in online business and the metaverse
5 Export controls targeting the semiconductor supply chain

Supply chains activity is becoming a fundamental piece on the success of companies, with greater challenges due to the global economy, post pandemic environment, current trade wars and an increase on regulatory enforcement made by the regulators. No doubt that enterprises could be responsible for violating the law or by breaching their supply chain agreements. However, the questions are:

Could members of the board of directors, chief officers or even the shareholders, have any kind of responsibility and which type could it be?

How should the duty of care, loyalty and confidentiality be understood in relation with the supply chain activities?

Can the corporate veil be lifted to impose direct responsibility to shareholders – tax matters or creditor fraud cases?

Knowing its responsibilities and implementing best corporate practices on trade and supply chain aspects, will help these members and officers reduce or even eliminate their responsibility. This analysis will be made from an academic, in-house, and external counselor point of view.

The increasing de-globalisation of the international commerce has been accelerated due to a number of factors, including the ongoing trade wars and the invasion of Ukraine. During the last year or two we have faced issues as the disruption of global supply chains, arising from factors such as the shortage of raw materials, commodities and also due to trade barriers and restrictions to the movement of people, enacted in the world. Re-shoring, nearshoring of friendly-shoring in this context have helped businesses to increase their resilience and helped to optimise processes of manufacturing and distribution along the supply chain. Our panel of experts will treat these and other topics of high relevance for international commerce. Specific consideration will be given to particular industries more impacted by this important trend and possible solutions will be discussed.  
 

In the past few years we have seen major supply chain disruptions.  Several factors have an impact and create risks for the international supply chain: cyber attacks, geopolitical risks, sanctions, business interruptions, natural disasters, pandemics, finance. The session will focus on how to identify supply chain risks and manage such risks, by insurance solutions and/or contractual provisions.

International trade and supply chain management were seen solely as a means to facilitate the exchange goods and increase wealth.  However, recent trends have placed basic human rights at the forefront of all human interactions including international trade. It is with this view in mind that the panel will deal with issues arising from human rights as they relate to trade and the international movement of goods, including forced labour, climate change, gender equality and others.