|
|||||||
|
Follow-up and Implementation: Mandates |
|
||||||
 |
|||||||
|
TRADE: Small and Medium-sized Enterprises “SME’s” |
MANDATES |
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
|||||||
MANDATES
Expand opportunities and capacity for businesses, particularly micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), and entrepreneurs, to participate in e-commerce, utilize digital technologies or tools, and logistics services encouraging free competition to improve their operations and develop digital skills for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and access to markets to become more competitive. (Regional Agenda for Digital Transformation, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).
We will promote and support actions to facilitate the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in domestic markets and international trade. We will support the SME Congress of the Americas and encourage wider participation in this initiative. We stress the importance of opening new markets for SME goods and services (Declaration of Mar del Plata, 2005).
We will foster the development of entrepreneurial skills and technical competence of SMEs, with the objective of facilitating their entry into new markets, aimed at strengthening SMEs and consequently increasing employment (Declaration of Mar del Plata, 2005).
To promote training and technical and credit assistance services, and professional training, and to strengthen the development of business, technological, and management skills for micro, small, and medium-sized companies, facilitating their inclusion as local suppliers (Plan of Action Mar del Plata, 2005).
To create and/or strengthen, as appropriate, agencies specialized in development services, and improve the business climate for micro, small, and medium-sized companies facilitating access to markets, including foreign markets, by requesting from multilateral institutions technical, and financial assistance for the achievement of this goal. (Plan of Action Mar del Plata, 2005).
Design and implement, with the cooperation of the IDB, the World Bank, other donors, as appropriate, as well as the ILO, building upon the work begun in regional and sub regional programs after the 1998 Santiago Summit of the Americas, legislation, policies and regulations that reduce startup costs, support the creation of new financial products for lower income groups and youth, foster the development of credit unions, community finance institutions and supporting institutions such as credit bureaus and create conditions that encourage commercial banks and other appropriate financial institutions to broaden their client base to include more micro, small and medium sized enterprises and strengthen the capacities of micro, small and medium sized enterprise development agencies; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).
Support and encourage, with the cooperation of the IDB and other donors as appropriate, the formation of business incubators, associative networks, joint projects, national competitiveness programs, credit unions and complementary agreements among micro, small and medium sized enterprises as part of a broader strategy allowing them to share best practices, to improve access to information, credit and adequate marketing systems and to break prevailing situations of isolation; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).
Simplify and expedite the procedures for registration, obtaining licenses, complying with labor and tax regulations, and the formalization, where appropriate, of micro, small and medium size enterprises. (Plan of Action Santiago, 1998).
Support private-sector providers of non-financial services to enable them to expand access to new technologies and training for micro, small and medium size enterprises, which will permit them to enhance their competitiveness in national and global markets. (Plan of Action Santiago, 1998).
Promote partnerships of micro, small, and medium size enterprises to allow them to take advantage of cooperative assistance in doing business and in modernizing business management. (Plan of Action Santiago, 1998).
Design national plans for the achievement of the actions previously defined and convoke a regional meeting of ministers or senior officials responsible for public policies to support micro, small and medium size enterprises, for the purpose of exchanging information on those plans and thus improving the effectiveness of support policies. To this end, the IDB, in cooperation with ECLAC, will be asked to provide coordination for this meeting. (Plan of Action Santiago, 1998).
Initiative 35 Request the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to work with sub regional financial institutions on the establishment of a support system for micro-credit institutions in order to promote technological innovation, improve the environment, and provide governments with technical assistance for strengthening financial services geared toward small business and micro-enterprise. (Plan of Action Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 1996).
19.1 Microenterprises and small businesses account for a large percentage of the employment of the poor, particularly women, and contribute a considerable percentage of the gross domestic product of our countries. Strengthened support for microenterprises and small businesses is a key component of sustainable and equitable development. (Plan of Action Miami, 1994).
19.4 Develop programs of financial deregulation to reduce costs in credit transactions and strengthen the institutional capacity of the financial sector servicing microenterprises and small businesses, and encourage the active participation by multilateral and bilateral agencies, development banks, commercial banks and other intermediary credit organizations, consistent with strict performance standards. (Plan of Action Miami, 1994).
19.7 Promote the strengthening of relations among the public, private and mixed (public/private) institutions that support the microenterprise and small business sector through programs of information, training, technical assistance, financing and association-building, enabling this sector to thrive over the long term. (Plan of Action Miami, 1994).
