The International Council for Small Business announces the theme and start of the Celebration of and Action for Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises on 27 June

Celebration of and Action for Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) Day are a United Nations Name Day, which was established in 2017. The day, June 27th is meant to demonstrate global support of MSMEs. MSMEs are the most significant contributors to local and global economies. However, they are often much forgotten and oppressed by restrictive policies and unsupported responses in times of need. MSMEs Day seeks to be both a moment of applause for the work that MSMEs do and a moment to gather for future planning to better promote the smaller economic units in the world.

Despite broad support throughout most governments, MSMEs are still in need of much political and regulatory relief that will enhance their narrative and support their establishment and entrepreneurial pursuits. Feeling that it is essential for the principles and best practices for MSMEs to be created in a way that is informed by the MSMEs themselves, the co-collaborators for this year’s MSMEs Day Celebration have themed the event “We Hear You.”

Given the pandemic and economic crisis affecting the global community, this 2020 MSMEs Day is set to stand out from those in the past. The International Council for Small Business, who is responsible for the creation of MSMEs Day posted, “As the pre-existing conditions, which have created disease within the world and for many MSMEs, have become even more announced, we see more clearly the importance of creating action to achieve fair, just, and green economies within our national and international markets.”

The United Nations has engaged recently with many initiatives in support of MSMEs, especially those in conjunction with the 2030 Agenda, highlighting their Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The United Nations has been vocal in their understanding of MSMEs as the keys to success in achieving the SDGs. To demonstrate their support of both MSMEs and organizations that work to uplift MSMEs, like the ICSB, they are participating in MSMEs Day by co-hosting a celebratory event on June 25th. This event is the result of a truly collaborative effort between the Permanent Mission of Argentina to the United Nations, who was the first to engage with ICSB’s request for a Name Day supporting small businesses in 2016, along with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and ICSB. The event is meant to stand as a day of celebration to honor the constant work and resilience of MSMEs year long.

Following the celebratory event on June 25th, ICSB will host an MSMEs Day of Action on Saturday, June 27th. Building upon the discussions which began just days prior, the Day of Action plans to center around the tangible and actionable steps that MSMEs and their supporters can take towards building better ecosystems for MSMEs. In light of the recent events, including but not limited to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic crisis, the event will showcase resources for MSMEs worldwide, as well as take time to examine the potential and current opportunities that these events have created.

Coupled with the Name Day, the International Council for Small Business publishes an annual report. This year, the 2020 ICSB Global MSMEs Report will be released on June 25th on the ICSB’s website, http://www.icsb.org. It is the most extended report to date as ICSB received more submissions than ever.

The 2020 Report concludes with a statement from ICSB’s Executive Director, Dr. Ayman El Tarabishy and Deputy Chair of the Department f Management of the GW School of Business, announcing, “In applying ourselves towards creating human-centered relationships, businesses, and policies, we might have a fighting chance at calibrating our world’s systems so that we can live in a place that upholds equity for all first and foremost.”

Please join us for both events. For more information and registration, please visit https://icsb.org/msmedays/.

Washington DC
June 23, 2022