SMEWG RESOURCES

The elaboration of a Consensus Framework for Multi-Stakeholder Ethical Collaboration in the biopharmaceutical and medical device sectors, brought together relevant actors in healthcare system under a common platform. The Framework was endorsed under the APEC Nanjing Declaration.

The workshop was held by the Philippines and the United States in Atlanta, the United States on 8-9 June 2015. It identified four major challenges that SMEs were facing in terms of non-tariff measures, including poor access to information on NTMs and GVCs, high cost of compliance with NTMs, and low readiness to join GVCs. A number of short-term and mid-term actions were recommended.

Singapore shared their experience about how innovation could help SMEs operate more efficiently and increase revenue. Singapore also explained its sectoral approach in developing innovation infrastructure and making intellectual property more accessible to SMEs. In addition, Singapore also pointed out how SMEs could partner larger companies to innovate and highlighted key emerging technology areas to look into in the coming years

Thailand presented the cooperation model between the Office of SMEs Promotion and the Stock Exchange of Thailand in identifying and incubating SMEs which have high potential to raise fund and be listed in the Market for Alternative Investment (MAI) or the stock market for SMEs. It highlighted two SMEs companies in non-hi-tech sector that had got access to MAI. These two SMEs role models represent which rose from being micro enterprise to larger firms with international presence through the opportunity to raise fund in the stock market

SMEs’ Single Book Keeping Scheme” is part of the Thai government’s measures to strengthen SMEs access to finance with a single set of accounts and encourage them to comply with the tax laws. SMEs that have registered capital of no more than 5 million Baht and income of no more than 30 million Baht who have registered with the Revenue Department since 15 January, 2016, till 15 March, 2016, must inform the Revenue Department that they will open an account that shows their income and financial budget to be in line with the real business situation (single account). The Revenue Department will not inspect any retrospective tax even if it is tax of a juristic entity, VAT, business tax, or revenue stamp, so in order to have knowledge and understanding relating to the correct process of bookkeeping, as well as actually work and draft an appropriate investment plan for the business.

Guided by the Export Development Plan and overseen by the Export Development Council (EDC), a plan to promote exports was formulated and put in place with two prongs, i.e. to increase SMEs participating in export and to diversify both products and markets. Various programs were introduced to support SMEs Internationalization, e.g. supporting start-ups, export competitiveness and doing business in FTAs, etc.

Obtain a certificate in Cross-Border E-commerce Trust and Safety by learning how platforms work with buyers and sellers to provide a safe and ethical operating environment form conducting international transactions over the internet.

2015/SMEWG40/045 Agenda Item: 16.8 The United States reported that in just three years, the APEC SME Business Ethics Initiative supported the development of 19 new industry codes across nine economies in the healthcare sector where they previously did not exist, expanded high standard APEC principles to more than 14,000 companies, of which over 8,000 are SMEs.

2014/SMEWG39/042 Agenda Item: 16.1 The Business Ethics for APEC SMEs initiative was in its fifth year, served as one of the largest and most successful public – private partnership efforts of the SME Working Group. Initially focused on the medical device, biopharmaceutical and construction sectors, the initiative has supported the development of new codes of ethics across 10 APEC economies where they previously did not exist. High standard APEC principles of codes was extended to nearly 1,500 additional SMEs over the previous two years.

2014/SMEWG39/043 Agenda Item: 16.1 It was proposed by the United States in which stakeholders jointly agreed to specific goals and actions, including a target to double the number of industry associations that have adopted or achieved formal progress toward a code of ethics between 2012 and 2015. The Nanjing Declaration was subsequently endorsed by APEC SME Ministers and APEC Ministers in 2014.

An one‐day forum focused on identifying the barriers to trade in health care products was held on June 8, 2015 in Atlanta, the United States. In the forum, public and private sector participants discussed the barriers to trade in the health care sector that significantly hinders access to safe and effective medical products. Speakers from a range of government agencies and industry representatives highlighted experiences exporting and importing in the health care sector, and emphasized that many of these barriers disproportionately impact SMEs.

2015/SMEWG40/040 Agenda Item: 16.3 The dialogue was held from 21st to 22nd April in Da Nang city, Viet Nam. The dialogue discussed impediments and challenges that SMEs goods and service providers and exporters faced during their internationalization process. Then it made recommendations on future focused activities on SMEs internationalization and capacity building for APEC economies.