INF/MSME/CN/19  
 
29 September 2022  
(22-7302) Page: 1/2 
  Original: English  
 
 
INFORMAL WORKING GROUP ON MSMES  
CONVENING NOTICE  
The following convening notice, dated  29 September 2022 , is being circulated at the request of the 
Coordinator of the Informal Working Group on MSMEs.  
 
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The Informal Working Group on MSMEs will hold its next regular meeting in hybrid  mode  on 
Wednesday 12 October 2022 , starting at 10 a.m . 
 
A technical guide summarizing logistical details for participation in Interprefy meetings will be made 
available on the  Members' interactive calendar of meetings, and can also be found at: 
WTO Interprefy Delegate Guide . 
 
The following items are proposed for the agenda:  
 
1  2022 SMALL BUSINESS CHAMPIONS AWARDS  
1.1.  The two winners and two runners -up of the 2022 edition of the Small Business Champions 
Competition have been invited to  present their project to the Group.  
2  UPDATE ON THE TRADE4MSMES PLATFORM  
2.1.  An update on the Trade4MSMEs platform will be provided by Mexico, the Trade4MSMEs 
Coordinator.  
3  BRIEFINGS ON MSME -RELATED DISCUSSIONS IN OTHER WTO BODIES  
3.1.  Presentation by the WTO TBT team of the key takeaways of the July 2022 MSME thematic 
session held back-to-back with the TBT Com mittee  (see 
https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/tbt_e/tbtts120722am_e.htm ). 
3.2.  Secretariat update on the implementation of the IDB Decision, in particular the automatic 
transmission of tariff and import data and the most recent agreements concluded between the 
Secretariat and some Members.  
4  IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MSME PACKAGE  
4.1.  Briefing by Group members on actions taken to implement the various annexes of the MSME 
package (INF/MSME/4/Rev.2). Members may wish to use the overview list presented to the Group 
in July 2021 (INF/MSME/ W/35  and Corrigendum 1 ) as a guide . 
5  THEMATIC DISCUSSIONS (PART 1 – MORNING)  
5.1.  Presentation by the Secretariat on its Literature review of Regio nal Trade Agreement Effects 
on MSMEs (INF/MSME/W/40).  INF/MSME/CN/19  
 
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  5.2.  Presentation by Mohammad Saeed from the International Trade Centre of the key findings of 
the report Supporting SMEs through trade facilitation reforms: Toolkit for policymakers | ITC 
(intracen.org) . 
6  ORGANIZATION OF WORK AND NEXT STEPS  
6.1.  Group members will be invited to discuss the organization of work for the remainder of  this 
year and 2023, including topics to be discussed.  
7  THEMATIC DISCUSSIONS (PART 2 – AFTERNOON)  
7.1.  Follow -up presentation by the IOTA Foundation of the Trade Logis tics Information Pipeline 
(TLIP)  presented to the Group in July 2022. The TLIP is  a partnership with TradeMark East Africa 
and the IOTA Foundation currently being integrated into a pilot programme with the UK government 
testing a new operating model for bo rders).  
7.2.  Presentation by the Global Express Association (GEA) of the two notes on low -value shipments 
circulated as INF/MSME/P/2 and INF/MSME/P/3.  
7.3.  Presentation by Juan Marchetti, Counsellor in the WTO Services Division, on Cross -Border 
Payments.  
7.4.  Knowledge s haring panel by the World Economic Forum on digital payments. Panellists include 
Yan Xiao, Digital Trade Project Lead at the World Economic Forum; Sergio Navajas, Senior Specialist 
at the IADB; and Barbara Kotschwar, Executive Director of the Visa Economic  Empowerment 
Institute. They will present the key findings of the following reports : 
• Defining and Measuring Payment I nteroperability ; 
• Regulatory and Policy Gaps and Inconsistencies of  Digital Currencies ; 
• Accelerating Digital Payments in Latin America and the Caribbean ; 
• Building an Inclusive, Equitable Digital Economy ; 
• Digital, Diverse and Going Global: a New Dawn for Women Led -Firms ; and  
• Let's Talk about How We Talk about Interoperability . 
8  OTHER BUSINESS  
 
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