Live Panel
Thursday 4th June, 3.00pm – 4.00pm GMT / 10am-11am EDT [ADD TO CALENDAR]
Background
The global pandemic has triggered an unprecedented surge of support for micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), in recognition of the critical role they play in national economies and global value chains, and because of their vulnerability as global economic activity grinds to a halt. COVID-19 is making an already challenging environment for MSMEs far worse, especially for informal businesses.
At the same time, the global crisis has also exposed deeply entrenched, complex and interconnected challenges already facing MSMEs. These include access to finance, as well as markets and networks, availability of skills and information and the regulatory environment. As the agenda shifts towards rebuilding and recovery, experts are starting to highlight the need and the opportunity for a concerted effort to address these underlying issues and to build back a more supportive operating environment for MSMEs.
The pandemic also reminds us that many different sectors share the same goal of helping MSMEs to grow. Large companies who source from and sell via MSMEs, impact investors as well as national and donor governments all have a vital interest in seeing MSMEs thrive. Collaboration between these actors has accelerated dramatically, showing what can be achieved if partners put their minds to it.
A new guide from Business Fights Poverty and Endeva, which will be available on 4th June, aims to demonstrate that by combining their strengths in a systematic way, stakeholders can magnify their impact both in terms of commercial results and social impact and more effectively tackle MSME barriers to growth.
Panellists
- Pamela Cornes, Global Director, Social Impact, AB InBev
- Katharine Teague, Head of Advocacy, AB Sugar
- Maryanne Ochola, Director East Africa Regional Chapter, ANDE
- Lino Dias, Vice President, Smallholder Farming,Bayer
- Richard Gilbert, Challenge Director, Business Fights Poverty
- Mario Gonzalez, Responsible Business Senior Adviser, CEMEX
- Christina Tewes-Gradl, Managing Director, Endeva
- Favad Soomro, Head of Engro Foundation, Engro
- Hugues Vincent-Genod, Investment Manager, Investisseurs & Partenaires
- Sandrine Chetail, Global Senior Director Economic Growth, Mercy Corps
- Eduardo Tugendhat, Director, Palladium
- Willy Foote, Founder and CEO, Root Capital
- Henning Ringholz, Small Foundation
- Jorge Ortega, Social Impact, Visa
- Kammy Naidoo, Global Programme Adviser, UNCDF
- Daniel Nowack, Managing Director, Yunus Social Business
Questions
In this live one-hour online discussion, a panel of experts will aim to address three questions:
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How can short-term COVID-19-related support measures for MSMEs be built on and further leveraged in the longer-term? Where do the greatest opportunities lie?
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How can sectors collaborate more effectively to rebuild a better operating environment for MSMEs post the crisis? What are some good current examples?
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How do we better enable and incentivise greater long-term collaboration between sectors in support of MSMEs, and who has a role to play in making it happen?
Format
This is a text-based discussion. There will be no video or audio. Please post your comments below. After the live session, this discussion will remain open, so please do continue to share your insights. To receive a free summary of this discussion afterwards, register here
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