Philippines To Host High-Level ASEAN Business Forum, MSME Inclusion Tops Agenda

MANILA, Sept 19 (Bernama-PNA) -- The Philippines, as ASEAN chair, is set to host a high-level inclusive business forum as part of its push for greater integration of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) into regional and global value chains, Philippine News Agency (PNA) reported.

The event, to be held on the sidelines of the 58th ASEAN Economic Ministers’ (AEM) Meeting, is scheduled for Sept 22 at the Likhang Filipino Exhibition Hall in Pasay City.

At a pre-event press conference on Saturday, Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo said the meeting reflected ASEAN’s “commitment to sustaining growth and ensuring that economic development remains inclusive and people-centred”.

“When ASEAN promotes inclusive business models, more MSMEs, farmers, micro-entrepreneurs and community enterprises gain access to markets, financing, technology, and business opportunities. This contributes directly to poverty reduction and more equitable growth,” he said.

Rodolfo said the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) would officially launch its report, “From Margins to Markets: Powering ASEAN’s Economy Through Inclusive Business”, during the forum to provide a regional perspective on the economic contribution of inclusive businesses (IB).

The event marks nearly a decade of progress since the Philippines first introduced inclusive business to the regional agenda during its ASEAN chairship in 2017.

Since then, the OECD said ASEAN has mainstreamed the inclusive business agenda.

The AEM endorsed the Guidelines for the Promotion of Inclusive Business in ASEAN in 2020 and later adopted the Plan of Action for the Promotion of Inclusive Business in ASEAN in 2023, which sought to promote IB accreditation and build the capacity of firms to develop IB models.

The forum will also feature the ASEAN Inclusive Business Awards Ceremony, which recognises outstanding inclusive enterprises from across the region.

-- BERNAMA-PNA