INF/MSME/R/35  
 
15 March 2023  
(23-1895) Page: 1/5 
  Original: English  
 
INFORMAL WORKING GROUP ON MSMES1 
2022 ANNUAL REPORT  
1  INTRODUCTION  
1.1.  On 13 December 2017, at the 11th Ministerial Conference (MC11), 88 WTO Members 
representing all major regions and levels of development established the Informal Working Group 
on MSMEs (WT/MIN(17)/58/Rev.1). In their Joint  Ministerial Statement, the "Friends of MSMEs" 
committed to discu ssing and identifying " horizontal a nd non -discrim inatory solutions"  to improve 
the participation of MSMEs in international trade while considering the specific needs of developing 
economies . 
1.2.  The following Annual Report describes the activities of the MSME Group in 2022. 
The MSME  Group is coordinated by H.E. Mr José Lu ís Cancela  Gómez , Ambassador of Uruguay. 
Following announcements by Tajikistan on 3 May 2022, Barbados on 7 December, and the United 
States of America on 16 December 2022 to join, the MSME Group counts 97 members .2 
1.3.  Although a Draft Ministeri al Declaration3 was finalized by the Group in September 2021, 
changed circumstances prevented the Group from endorsing the document at MC12. Instead, the 
Group's Coordinator circulated a report on the progress the Group has achieved (WT/MIN(22)/4) 
and hel d a press conference on the side -lines of the conference.  
2  OPEN -ENDED MEETINGS HELD BY THE INFORMAL WORKING GROUP ON MSMES 
DURING  2022 
2.1.  The MSME Group held five open -ended meetings during 2022, the first on 8 February, followed 
by 7 April, 19 May, 15 July, a nd 12 October.  
2.2.  On 8 February, the Group held its first open -ended meeting of 2022 to discuss regular work 
for the year ahead (INF/MSME/CN/15). The MSME Group welcomed three new members 
(The Gambia ; Georgia ; and Macao, China ) who joined in late 2021. At the beginning of the meeting, 
the Vice-Minister for Promotion of MSMEs of the Dominican Republic, Dr Jorge Morales Paulino, 
addressed the Group  and stressed the need for international organizations to help MSMEs to access 
finance. During the working part of the meeting, t he Group designated Mexico as the coordinator  of 
the Trade4MSMEs web platform and established a new taskforce to lead work on the platform.  It 
was agreed that 2022 work w ould focus on cyber readiness, low -value shipments, the green 
economy, and MSME references in regional trade agreements. Canada also suggested upgrading the 
 
1 Previous Annual Reports include  JOB/GC/207 dated 3 December 2018 ; INF/MSME/R/13/Rev.1 dated 
9 December 2019; INF/MSME/R/21 dated 15 December 2020; and INF/MSME/R/30 dated 11 February 2022.  
2 Members of the Informal Working Group on MSMEs are: Afghanistan; Albania; Antigua and Barbuda; 
Argentina; Armenia; Australia; Bahrain, Kingdom of; Barbados; Belize; Brazil; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; 
Chile; China; Colombia; Costa Rica; Côte d'Ivoire; Domin ica; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; El Salvador; 
European Union and its 27 Member States; The Gambia; Georgia; Grenada; Guatemala; Guyana; Honduras; 
Hong Kong,  China; Iceland; Israel; Japan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Korea, Republic of; Kyrgyz Republic; 
Lao People' s Democratic Republic; Liechtenstein; Macao, China; Malaysia; Mexico; Moldova, Republic of; 
Mongolia; Montenegro; Myanmar; New Zealand; Nicaragua; Nigeria; North Macedonia; Norway; Pakistan; 
Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Qatar; Russian Federation; Saint Kit ts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint  Vincent and 
the Grenadines; Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of; Singapore; Switzerland; Chinese Taipei; Tajikistan; Türkiye; 
Ukraine; United Kingdom; United States of America; Uruguay and Viet Nam.  
3 INF/MSME/W /36. INF/MSME/R/35  
 
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  MSME  TPR database launched last year to include Q&As . Related to implementation of the package, 
the ITC gave a presentation on the Global Tr ade Helpdesk's plans for 2022 ; Côte d'Ivoire invited the 
Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF) to give a presentation on the Legal Entity 
Identifier  (LEI) in support of Annex 6 ; and the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF ) 
presented their new report on Good Regulatory Practices in the context of SPS measures . Four 
external presentations were received, the first from the Philippines on the Boracay Action Agenda 
followed by the ITC on their Green ToCompete initiative , UNCTAD on the devel opment of the G20's 
"Born Green via Digital Toolkit"  and lastly UNCTAD again on  International Standards of Accounting 
and Reporting (ISAR) . In discussions on the work program for 2022, members expressed interest in 
continuing to explore the issues presente d. The European Union suggested that the 2019 note on 
MSME provisions in Regional Trade Agreements  (RTAs) be updated and that members share their 
experiences on MSME provisions in RTAs. Tofara Online, one of the four winners of the 2021 Digital 
Champions f or Small Business Initiative , also joined the meeting. A full summary of the meeting and 
of presentations received is available in document INF/MSME/R/31.  
2.3.  The MSME Group held its second open -ended meeting of the year on 7 April 2022 
(INF/MSME/CN/16). The i nternational crisis in Ukraine was highlighted by members in their opening 
remarks, including the challenges and trade disruptions to MSMEs created by the conflict. In terms 
of the Group's ongoing work, Mexico, as the coordinator of the Trade4MSMEs web pla tform, noted 
that translation of the website into both French and Spanish had been completed and that invitations 
were sent to international organizations doing work related to MSME trade asking that they join a 
Trade4MSMEs Network and become partners of t he platform. Following the successful 2021 Digital 
Champions for Small Business Initiative held together with the ICC and the ITC, the MSME Group 
agreed to make the championship an annual event with the two partners. The chosen theme for 
2022 was decided t o tie in with helping MSMEs go green. Related to implementation of the package, 
the ITC gave an update presentation on the Global Trade Helpdesk (GTH) and thanked the 
39 Members who had verified their national information as per Annex 2 of the package. The  second 
presentation was by the Secretariat on the first five -year review of the TFA as it related to Annex 3 
of the package. It was noted that the TFA provides predictability and uniformity in trade standards, 
which benefit MSMEs substantially more. Perta ining to Annex 5 the Group received a presentation 
on the implementation of the 2019 IDB Decision that streamlines processes and allows integration 
of additional data elements.  Regarding MSME -related work in ot her WTO Bodies, the  Secretariat of 
the TBT Co mmittee briefed the MSME Group on their work assessing conformity procedures, 
increasing transparency through ePing, and good regulatory practices. The MSME Group Secretariat 
also presented on the updated Report regarding MSME references in RTAs (INF/MSME/ W/6/Rev.3) 
and the associated database. One external presentation was received from the Global Cyber Alliance 
(GCA) about their free -to-use toolkit of MSME resources that they have developed for small 
businesses. A full summary of the meeting and of presen tations received is available in document 
INF/MSME/R/32.  
2.4.  On 19 May 2022, directly before MC12, the MSME Group met for a brief third meeting to review 
the planned actions for the Ministerial Conference (INF/MSME/CN/17). Following outreach to the 
MSME Group Coordinator by some delegations in which they noted that they would no longer be in 
a position to endorse the agreed -upon MC12 MSME Declaration WT/MIN(21)/1, the Coordinator 
suggested that in line with the MC11 Joint Ministerial Statement WT/MIN (17)/58/Rev.1  he would 
instead circulate a Coordinator's report under his own responsibility based on the Draft MC12 
Declaration INF/MSME/W/36. Further, the Coordinator expressed that rather than calling a minister -
level open -ended MSME meeting, he would inste ad hold a press conference to present the results of 
the Group's work since MC11 and to announce the Trade4MSMEs Network.  
2.5.  The fourth MSME Group meeting was held on 15 July 2022 (INF/MSME/CN/18) and was the 
first open -ended meeting following MC12. At this time, the Group formally welcomed Tajikistan as 
the 95th member. Discussions focused on the way forward. Topics that were raised as of interest to 
the MSME Group included trade digitalization, cyber readiness, NTMs, access to information, access 
to finance, and low -value shipments. It was underscored that, going forward, a trade lens should be 
applied to MSME issues and the MSME Group should continue to exchange information and 
coordinate with other WTO regulatory bodies. An update on the Trade4MSMEs w eb platform was 
provided about the completion of the Spanish and French translation reviews, the new guides under 
development and the search for additional funding. Regarding implementation of the 2020 MSME 
Package, Switzerland announced the inclusion of a  MSME chapter in its recent TPR. One presentation 
was received on the United Kingdom -Kenya Trade Logistics Information Pipeline (TLIP) and its 
intention to digitalize the trade process in order to facilitate MSME trade between these two INF/MSME/R/35  
 
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  economies. A brief update on the research underway by the Secretariat on MSME -related provisions 
in RTAs and their use by small businesses was given by the Coordinator. A full summary of the 
meeting and of presentations received is available in document INF/MSME/R/33.  
2.6.  On 12 October 2022, the MSME Group held its fifth open -ended meeting (INF/MSME/CN/19). 
The fifth open -ended meeting of the MSME Group again focused on the way forward, with clear 
interest expressed to further investigate MSME provisions in RTAs. Other topics of interest included 
rural MSMEs, sustainability, cross -border paperless trade, low -value shipments, and applying gender 
perspectives on MSME trade recommendations. The Group also discussed the possibility of having 
dedicated sessions and compendiums of good practices on these topics. Regarding implementation 
of the 2020 MSME Package, Mexico reported on their inclusion of a MSME section in their 
October  2022 TPR Report, while Uruguay informed the Group regarding their completed work to 
implement the 2019 IDB D ecision. Interest was expressed to improve and expand the database on 
MSME references in TPRs. Members also requested that a mapping of MSME -related discussions i n 
other WTO Committees be undertaken. An update on the Trade4MSMEs web platform was provided. 
Promotion was planned to continue with four country webinars held and two more planned for Mexico 
and the Dominican Republic. 12 new guides were also issued in advance of the Public Forum in 
September. The two runners -up for the 2022 Small Business Champio ns presented their winning 
proposals to the Group. Two briefings on MSME -related discussions  in other WTO Committees  were 
given from the Secretariat regarding first  the July TBT Committee MSME Thematic Session and 
second the implementation of the 2019 IDB Decision.  The Secretariat also provided two briefings, 
first on the findings of a literature review on the effects of regional trade agreements on MSME trade 
participation (INF/MSME/W/40) and the second on cross -border payments and the GATS. The 
Secretaria t briefing was followed by a knowledge sharing session organized by the World Economic 
Forum (WEF) with the Inter-American Development Bank  (IADB) and Visa on inclusive trade and 
cross-border payments. The Group also received three thematic presentations from the ITC, the 
IOTA Foundation, and the Global Express Association  (GEA)  on trade facilitation, digitalization of 
trade documents, and low -value shipments . A full summary of the meeting and of presentations 
received is available in document INF/MSME/R/34 . 
3  IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 2020 MSME PACKAGE  
3.1.  Following the MSME Group's agreed upon overview list (INF/MSME/W/35/Corr.1), members 
continued to implement the December 2020 MSME Package (INF/MSME/4/Rev.2).  
3.1  Annex 1  
3.2.  The Secretariat updated its database of MSME re ferences in TPRs through mid-year 2022 . 
Additionally, Switzerland and Mexico both included dedicated MSME sections in their TPRs.  
3.2  Annex 2  
3.3.  In September 2022,  the ITC updated the Group on the latest developments regarding the 
Global Trade Helpdesk (GTH)  and provided m embers w ith a document for review of national 
information available on the GTH website . By the end of the year, updates and verifications had 
been received from 42 signatories of the December 2020 MSME Package.  
3.3  Annex 3  
3.4.  Regarding Annex 3, Canada r ecalled the recent completion of the Four -Year Review of the 
Agreement on Trade Facilitation (G/TFA/2) as well as the event to celebrate the fifth anniversary of 
the entry -into-force of the Agreement (event  recordings are available on YouTube ). Both the report  
and the anniversary event provide information of relevance to MSMEs, including the implementation 
achievements so far , and look ahead to what needs to be done to continue to help WTO Members 
reduce trading frictions at their borders.  
3.4  Annex 5  
3.5.  In October 2022, Uruguay announced the completion and implementation of its agreement 
with the Secretariat for the automatic electronic transmission of their tariff and import data to the 
IDB. It joins Canada as two members of the MSME Group with such agreements in place.  INF/MSME/R/35  
 
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  3.5  Annex 6  
3.6.  Côte d'Ivoire invited the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF) to present the key 
findings from their study titled "The LEI: The Key to Un locking Financial Inclusion in Developing 
Economies". Further presentations on trade -related finance and cross -border payments were 
received from the WTO Secretariat on the GATT and the WEF in a panel they organized with the 
IADB and Visa in October.  
4  OTHE R ACTIVITIES  
4.1  Other  
4.1.  The Group met  virtually  with the private sector in February 2022 in the afternoon of the first 
open-ended meeting of the year . Topics raised by private sector participants include d cyber 
readiness, support for adoption of the Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR) of the 
United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and sustainability standards , 
the proliferation of which is  hindering MSME trade . 
4.2.  Development of the Trade4MSMEs web platform continued throughout the year. The Spanish 
and French translations of the website were completed and 12 new guides were developed for MSMEs 
and policymakers on competition policy; exchange rates; government procureme nt; investment 
facilitation; RTAs; reverse logistics; standards for cross -border paperless trade; the think small first 
principal; trade remedies and voluntary sustainability standards. Promotion continued throughout 
the year with multiple joint GTH and Tr ade4MSMEs information webinars given online, including one 
at the WSIS Forum 2022 at the ITU, and four country webinars held virtually for Chile, Colombia, 
Dominican Republic and Mexico. Looking towards long -term sustainability and improvements, a  
strategi c partnership has been established with the UK Institute of Export and International Trade  
(IOE&IT) and a funding grant was obtained from Google. Trade Finance Global (TFG) has also joined 
as a partner to the platform to give greater visibility to the webs ite. 
4.3.  Launched on 8 June 2022, the Trade4MSMEs Network currently counts 17 development banks, 
international and regional organizations as participants and outreach continues to additional 
organizations. Created with the objective of keeping the Trade4MSMEs web platform up -to-date, the 
Network also aims to facilitate collaboration among participants, identify new tools to help MSMEs 
trade and to explore the possibility of joint projects. The Network plans to meet annually. Network 
participants include the Asi an Development Bank; European Bank for Reconstruction and 
Development; Inter -American Development Bank; International Labour Organization; International 
Telecommunication Union; International Trade Centre; Organisation for Economic Co -operation and 
Develop ment; United Nations Economic Commission for Africa; United Nations Economic 
Commission for Europe; United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean; 
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific; United Natio ns Economic 
and Social Commission for Western Asia; United Nations Industrial Development Organization; 
United Nations Commission on International Trade Law; World Customs Organization; World 
Intellectual Property Organization; and World Bank.  
4.4.  The WTO MSME  Group celebrated international MSME Day on 27 June 2022 with the launch of 
the second iteration of Small Business Champions Initiative with the theme  "Helping small 
businesses transition to a sustainable economy " and a panel discussion with business 
repre sentatives from UPS, Sage, ADJOAA and Mantra Beauty . Introductory remarks were made by 
H.E. Mr José Luís Cancela Gómez , WTO MSME Group Coordinator and Ambassador of Uruguay; Ms 
Pamela Coke -Hamilton, Executive Director, International Trade Centre; Mr John D enton, Secretary 
General, International Chamber of Commerce; and Dr Ngozi Okonjo -Iweala, Director -General, World 
Trade Organization.  
4.5.  Nearly 90 Small Business Champions proposals were received. The two winners and two 
runners -up were announced in a virtual ceremony in advance of the WTO Public Forum on 
26 September. The winners are t he Association Professionnelle Accompagnements Valeurs 
Expertises Conseils (A.V.E.C) from Benin  and the Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and 
Agriculture  (TCCIA) and the two  runners -up are Inclusive Trade Ltd. (United Kingdom) and Sidley 
Austin Emerging Enterprises Pro Bono Program (Global) . A second promotional event was held at 
Building Bridges in Geneva on 5 October.  INF/MSME/R/35  
 
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  4.6.  As Coordinator of the MSME Group, Ambassador  José Luís C ancela Gómez was invited to 
participate  in various meetings and webinars organized by external stakeholders to raise awareness 
concerning the efforts of the Group. This included Mexico's joint session with the ITC and the MSME 
Group at the Public Forum tit led "Digital Platforms for Inclusive Growth". This session was de dicated 
to exploring how digital tools can be leveraged to connect MSMEs with global markets  and was 
moderated by the Mexican Ambassador Ángel Villalobos Rodríguez . Other speaking engagements  
included, among others, the May South -South Dialogue on LDCs and Development; UNCTAD's 
Intergovernmental Group of Experts; a Public Forum session on "Overcoming the Digital Divide – 
Empowering SME Communities"; a session on "IP and Innovation Opportunitie s in Intellectual 
Property Financing" organized on the fringes of the October TRIPS Council; and the Jordanian Arab 
SMEs Summit.  
4.7.  Additionally, the Coordinator issued two Newsletters over 2022. Newsletters covered updates 
on the work of the Group and its in itiatives, including the Trade4MSMEs web platform, presentations 
the MSME Group received, and the Small Business Champions.  
4.8.  Lastly, the MSME Group created a new document symbol (INF/MSME/P) for traders and their 
representatives to submit recommendations di rectly to the MSME Group. Four documents were 
received with recommendations from Africa Women in Trade, the Global Express Association, and 
the Asian Trade Centre Foundation.  
5  CONCLUSION  
5.1.  The Informal Working Group adopted the present Annual Report (2022) at  its 13 March 2023 
open-ended meeting.  
 
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