AT their first meeting of 2021, the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) Informal Working Group on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) reflected on how to implement their package of declarations and recommendations to help business trade globally.

In their December 11, 2020 meeting the group had officially adopted a package of six voluntary and non-binding recommendations and declarations covering areas such as transparency and information sharing on MSMEs, trade facilitation, access to finance and cross-border payments, access to market information and inclusion of MSMEs in regulatory developments.

The coordinator of the group, Uruguay's Mr Jose Luis Cancela said that Kuwait and Thailand have endorsed the package and that the number of sponsors now stands at 94 WTO members.

He also invited members to think about new issues on which they would like to organise information sessions and presentations at the working group's meetings and submit proposals.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on MSMEs and how to help them overcome the crisis and become more resilient was suggested as a theme for future discussions by some members.

Mexico updated the group on the work under way to establish the Trade4MSMEs platform aimed at helping MSMES tackle non-tariff barriers by facilitating access to relevant information. The group is eyeing the WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference, which is due to take place this year, for launching the platform.

The Global Express Association gave a presentation on how simplifying and automating the handling of low-value shipments can facilitate trade conducted by small businesses and make it more efficient for governments to collect revenues.

The group heard an update from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe on their Integrated Services for MSMEs in International Trade (ISMIT) project. This project calls for the establishment of private or public-private portals to provide information on services suppliers to MSMEs. For instance, the portal could provide access to logistics service providers, financing services, insurance services and regulatory services.

A representative from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) spoke about their work on MSMEs and Canada shared how its national cybersecurity strategy helps small businesses mitigate cybersecurity risks.