INFORMAL WORKING GROUP ON MSMES

CONVENING NOTICE

Revision

The following revised convening notice, dated 19 February 2025, is being circulated at the request of the Coordinator of the Informal Working Group on MSMEs, Ambassador Matthew Wilson (Barbados).

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The Informal Working Group on MSMEs will hold its next regular meeting in hybrid mode on Wednesday 5 March 2025, starting at 10:00 (full-day meeting). In-person participation is encouraged by the coordinator.

For delegates wishing to join remotely via the Interprefy platform, a technical guide summarizing logistical details for participation in Interprefy meetings will be made available on the Members' interactive calendar of meetings, and can also be found at: WTO Interprefy Delegate Guide.

I items proposed for the agenda

1  THEMATIC DISCUSSIONS

1.1  Good Regulatory Practices

The thematic discussion on Good Regulatory Practices, based on a proposal from the United Kingdom _INF/MSME/W/52, was postponed from the 10 December 2024 meeting. Members are invited to contribute to the discussion, with a view to developing a compendium on good regulatory practices for MSMEs as outlined in _INF/MSME/W/61.

The following guiding questions are proposed:

·_              Does your economy involve MSMEs in the development of trade regulations and legislation, and if so, how?

·_              How does your economy alert constituents, especially MSMEs, of trade regulatory changes and has your economy identified methods that are effective?

·_              Has your economy conducted impact studies to identify how trade regulatory changes may affect MSMEs?

·_              Has your economy considered language in your regional trade agreements related to good regulatory practices and is there a MSME or inclusive trade focus?

1.2  Informality

In their proposal _INF/MSME/W/54, Mexico proposed continuing discussions on the issue of business informality. The discussion will be informed by presentations from the International Labour Organization, the International Trade Centre, the World Bank, Serviço Brasileiro de Apoio às Micro e Pequenas Empresas (SEBRAE, Brazil).

The following guiding questions are proposed by Mexico:

·_              What are the key barriers that MSMEs face in transitioning from informal to formal sectors?

·_              How can legislative frameworks be structured to support rather than hinder this transition?

·_              What role can international cooperation play in harmonizing these efforts?

Following the presentations, Members will be invited to share their own experiences on how informal businesses can take the step to formality. The Secretariat is preparing an information note on business informality (INF/MSME/W/63, to be issued) In addition, Members are encouraged to express their views on what the MSME Group could do to further address informality.

2  AUTHORIZED ECONOMIC OPERATORS

Following the issuance of its joint compendium with the World Customs Organization (WCO) on Special Provisions for MSMEs in Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Programs  (_INF/MSME/W/47/Rev.2) and as discussed at the meeting of 10 December 2024, a joint report is being prepared with the World Customs Organisation (WCO) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) on Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Programmes with MSME considerations to incorporate findings from recent WCO and ICC work. An overview of the draft report will be presented by the WCO. Members will be able to review the draft report (INF/MSME/W/62, to be issued) prior to the meeting and share comments at the meeting.

3  IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECEMBER 2020 MSME PACKAGE

Members will be invited to share updates on actions taken to implement the December 2020 MSME package (_INF/MSME/4/Rev.2). Members will be invited to report on:

·_              Inclusion of MSME information in trade policy reviews (TPRs) – Members having undergone a recent Trade Policy Review will be invited to report on their inclusion of MSME information in their TPRs (Annex 1 of _INF/MSME/4/Rev.2);

·_              Actions taken to support the Global Trade Helpdesk (Annex 2);

·_              Trade facilitation measures for MSMEs (Annex 3);

·_              Inclusion of MSMEs in the development of trade regulations to minimize regulatory burden (Annex 4);

·_              Implementation of the 2019 Integrated Database Decision (Annex 5). The Secretariat will make a presentation on the automatic data exchange of tariff and import data;

·_              Actions taken to facilitate MSME access to finance, including trade finance, and cross-border payments (Annex 6).

4  MC14 Preparation

4.1  Organization of work and deliverables

Members will be invited to discuss the organization of work in 2025 and MC14 preparations. Members will also be invited to share their views on possible outcomes for MC14.

5  STRENGTHENING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS

5.1  MSME Spotlight

We will have our first MSME Spotlight of 2025 by showcasing fairafric, who will join the MSME Group to share their trade experience as a small business. Fairafric is an enterprise that produces organic chocolate, entirely from bean to bar, in Ghana, aiming to create more local value and employment. By manufacturing chocolate locally, fairafric aims to increase incomes for cocoa farmers and contribute to sustainable economic development in Ghana. In addition, Members will be invited to make suggestions for businesses/initiatives to spotlight in future meetings of the Group.

5.2  SME Summit

South Africa will join to brief the Group on the SME Summit to take place in July 2025.

6  BRIEFINGS ON MSME-RELATED DISCUSSIONS IN OTHER WTO BODIES

The WTO Secretariat will provide a briefing on MSME related discussions in the Standards and Trade Development Facility.

7  EDelegate

Members are invited to consider using eDelegate for the Informal Working Group on MSMEs to simplify the mailing list of the Group.

8  OTHER BUSINESS

8.1  2025 Small Business Champion

On 28 January the Small Business Champions Competition 2025 with the topic "2025: Completing the loop: Helping small businesses contribute to the circular economy" was launched. Applications are encouraged by initiatives and MSMEs in this area until 28 March 2025. More information can be found here: WTO | ICC-ITC-WTO MSME Group Small Business Champions.

8.2  Any Other Business

II ORGANIZATIONAL arrangements

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