ICC Switzerland - icc-switzerland.ch

ICC Switzerland Celebrates its 90th Anniversary

The annual assembly, which took place on 7th March this year, was a great success. On this occasion, ICC Switzerland celebrated 90 years of existence, in the presence of Gerold Bührer, President of economiesuisse and Ambassador Luzius Wasescha, head of the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the WTO.

The International Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1919 as a global forum for private companies. Initially, the ICC played a role in matters relating to war reparations. The greatest concerns of the time were the facilitation of economic relations, particularly for the production and transport of merchandise, and issues relating to financing and licensing. Private enterprise needed a voice to convey its position to state institutions and later to multilateral organisations. Today the ICC still plays this ever-challenging role, fighting against ever-increasing protectionism.

An initiative by Vorort (today economiesuisse), the Swiss Association of Bankers and the Chamber of Swiss Commerce in France led to the founding in 1922 of the National Swiss Committee of the ICC, now known as ICC Switzerland. The secretariat is headed by a member of the economiesuisse management team. The positions of the ICC are communicated to the Swiss Federal Authorities. More than 100 representatives of member companies participate in the work of the global organisation. ICC Switzerland runs the secretariat of the Swiss Arbitration Committee and nominates arbitrators in dispute settlement proceedings before the ICC International Court of Arbitration.