“Emerging Powerhouses: How Chambers of Commerce Will Define the New Economy” The 36th CACCI Conference was held on November 28-29, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. Hosted by the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), the 2022 annual gathering of CACCI members carried the theme “Emerging Powerhouses: How Chambers of Commerce Will Define the New […]
The 36th CACCI Conference was held on November 28-29, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. Hosted by the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), the 2022 annual gathering of CACCI members carried the theme “Emerging Powerhouses: How Chambers of Commerce Will Define the New Economy”. Invited speakers shared their views on strategies that businesses may pursue for navigating – and creating new opportunities – in the post-pandemic business and global market environment, and how chambers of commerce play a leadership role in achieving these objectives.
The formal Opening Ceremony was held on the morning of November 28, and featured the following speakers:
Mr. Paul Guerra, Chief Executive of VCCI, in his Welcome Statement, said that “Modern and effective Chambers of Commerce are here to be the voice of business. We are not here for one political party or another, or for our own personal beliefs or agendas. If there’s an issue or policy that we are a bit stuck on the fence on, we sit back, take a breath and reflect on what our members –would want us to put forward on their behalf…At the VCCI, we will continue to engage with governments, stakeholders and the community – because projecting our collective voice is a big part of what gives us relevance. And just like political parties, we need to modernise, we can’t rest on our laurels. And I suspect that the future of Chambers is built more on a service-model than a membership-model.”
CACCI President Mr. Samir Modi in his Welcome Remarks told the delegates: “I strongly believe that chambers of commerce and business organizations will have an important role to play in helping their respective members address the challenges before us. Indeed, the importance of business networking to encourage greater interaction among individual companies and business communities in the Asian region will be crucial to enable us to go forward. But the point to be noted is that it’s the speed of change that will give results and not necessarily perfection. The world that we all knew for centuries was very different from our world that changed overnight after COVID. Therefore, to face the challenges of this new reality, we will all need to become one and help each other by sharing our experiences in our chambers, and by reviewing our purpose, structure and strategy.
In his Keynote Address, Mr. John Denton AO, Secretary General of ICC World Chambers Federation (ICC WCF), pointed out that it was in 1984 – 38 years ago – that the first MOU was signed between CACCI and ICC defining possible areas of cooperation between the two organizations.
He said that he is glad that this long history of collaboration between ICC WCF and CACCI is continuing, especially during this time when – as underscored by the recent meetings of the leaders of the B20 and APEC – the importance of the Asia-Pacific region continues to grow, both in innovation and leadership, especially in relation to trade. Economic cooperation agreements – such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the Indo Pacific Framework for Prosperity (IPFP) – are expected to accelerate the program towards greater economic cooperation among countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Mr Denton called on governments and businesses to support work on digital transformation and the promotion of MSMEs. Looking forward, he said that, amidst rising inflation, the Ukraine-Russia conflict, and supply chain disruptions, chambers of commerce have a particularly important role to play in strengthening business through cooperation and the promotion of entrepreneurship in the region, which are objectives shared by both ICC and CACCI.