Project profile — Support to the Development and Enhancement of ASEAN SMEs

• Far East Asia, regional (55.26%)
• Asia, regional (44.74%)

• Business And Other Services: Business support services and institutions (25010) (20.00%)
• Industry: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) development (32130) (60.00%)
• Trade facilitation:
Trade facilitation (33120) (10.00%)
Trade education/training (33181) (10.00%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (significant objective)
• Participatory development and good governance (not targeted)
• Trade development (principal objective)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Children's issues (not targeted)
• Youth Issues (not targeted)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)

The project aims to enable small and medium enterprise (SME) development across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). This is done through more effective and coordinated SME policies and linking SMEs into regional and global value chains. This will create a more integrated, competitive, resilient and innovative ASEAN Economic Community. Project activities include: (1) elaborating a second iteration of the ASEAN SME Policy Index to assess the scope and quality of SME policies and institutions across the region; (2) supporting an ASEAN-OECD Regional Policy Network on SMEs, through which senior ASEAN and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) experts can address common challenges. These challenges improving SME competitiveness and drawing on the knowledge and experiences of their respective economies; (3) supporting linkages between ASEAN SMEs with value chains and foreign investors, in cooperation, among other things , with the Canada-ASEAN Business Council; and (4) associating with the OECD-World Economic Forum's Redesigning Development Finance Initiative and other major players to promote innovative approaches for SME financing in annual ASEAN roundtables. The project fully aligns with DFATD's Sustainable Economic Growth Strategy, the 2016-2020 ASEAN-Canada Plan of Action, and the strategic goals of the ASEAN Strategic Action Plan for SME Development.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) strengthened ASEAN Co-ordinating Committee for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on MSMEs (ACCMSME) to be able to support the full implementation of the ASEAN SME Strategic Action Plan 2016-2025 efficiently and effectively; and (2) increased understanding of policymakers and relevant stakeholders of the needs of SMEs, their ability to access finance, to be environmentally sustainable and their connection to the rest of the world.

Results achieved as of March 2022 include: (1) the project contributed to the Associations of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN’s) plans and priorities for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) development. It supported two policy network meetings using an evidence-based policy-making approach; (2) developed, launched and disseminated the findings of the ASEAN SME Policy Index 2018 across all ten ASEAN member states with over 700 policy-makers mobilized; (3) published a report on strengthening women's entrepreneurship; (4) supported over 50 training, workshops and policy dialogues, including 11 Regional Policy Network meetings on important topics such as SME policy Index, SME productivity, digital economy, women’s entrepreneurship, inclusive business and starting a business. Improving government officials’ understanding of these critical issues positions them to adopt policies and programs that enhance SME productivity, improve access to finance and promote women's entrepreneurship. This also allows them to better integrate SMEs into global and regional value chains. These activities allowed ASEAN and member states stakeholders to share best practices and lessons learned. Also, at least 1,700 policy-makers in the region benefited from the workshops and policy dialogues; (5) ASEAN Member States integrated the findings of the Canada-OECD Project on ASEAN SMEs (COPAS) work into their national development and SME development strategies. For example, the Government of Indonesia integrated the 2018 ASEAN SME Policy Index recommendations into their SME strategy and National Medium Term Development Plan (RPJMN) 2020-2024. Myanmar also developed their first SME strategy to reflect the ASEAN SME Policy Index framework; and (6) launched 17 reports including other important subject matter.

• Proactive disclosure