Rapporteur’s Report

The pilot project for the implementation of the Public Policy Index for MSMEs (IPPALC) successfully concluded with the publication of the report Policies for Competitive SMEs in the Pacific Alliance and participating South American countries, which was presented at a high-level regional meeting held in April 2019 in Lima, Peru. This report, jointly prepared by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and CAF-development bank of Latin America-, with the collaboration of the Foundation for the Strategic Analysis and Development of SMEs (FAEDPYME) and the Permanent Secretariat of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA), describes policies to support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and, additionally, provides substantive recommendations for their growth in the context of the member countries of the Pacific Alliance (Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru), as well as Argentina, Ecuador and Uruguay.

Following the findings and the guidelines provided in this first phase of implementation of the tool, the participating countries have been able to make progress in optimising public policies aimed at SMEs, in strengthening the mechanisms for coordination, monitoring and evaluation of policies, and in regional regulatory convergence on relevant topics related to these enterprises.

In this regard, in order to obtain a detailed measure of the achievements reported by these countries since the initial evaluation, a second edition is being proposed to detect the changes that have materialised as a result of the recommendations as well as to extend the analysis to new dimensions of interest to the countries and identify the areas where major challenges still persist. The continuity of this project is in line with the importance of this productive sector for the regional economic fabric and represents a tool for collective learning of international best practices. In addition, and as has happened in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other areas of the world, the consecutive implementation of this index can lead to significant changes in the performance of SMEs, in the creation of regional frameworks and in the strengthening of the integration process.

With the purpose of materialising all these benefits in Latin America and the Caribbean, it is appropriate to give continuity to the IPPALC in a second phase of implementation, which will include the participation of the seven aforementioned countries and the incorporation of Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay. The commitment made by the OECD, CAF-development bank of Latin America- and SELA will enable the application of this tool for the preparation of a renewed analysis that responds to the concerns of the countries and becomes a reference framework for the development of support instruments for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, as an engine for inclusive and sustainable growth.

1. Introduce the new virtual platform for accessing the assessment questionnaire.
2. Discuss and approve the dimensions of analysis.
3. Assess the contents of the new questionnaire.
4. Present and approve the work schedule.

This activity is aimed at governmental focal points for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in the Pacific Alliance Member States, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Venue and date

The Workshop will be held at the headquarters of CAF-Development Bank of Latin America- in Montevideo, Uruguay, on 27 and 28 June 2022.