JOB/GC/162  
 
29 November 2017  
(17-6559) Page: 1/2 
General Council   
 
 
INFORMAL OPEN -ENDED MEETING AT THE  LEVEL OF HEADS OF DE LEGATION  
STATEMENT BY H.E. MR. HECTOR CASA NUEVA, COORDINATOR O F THE GROUP OF 
FRIENDS OF MSMES AT THE WTO  
28 NOVEMBER 2017  
1.1.  I make this statement in my capacity as coordinator of the Informal Group of Friends of 
MSMEs at the WTO.  
1.2.  The "Informal Group of Friends of MSMEs " was launched six months ago.  In its first General 
Council statement on 18 May, the Group – then composed of 19 Members  – expressed its 
willingness to work together  to make trade more inclusive by supporting MSMEs' greater 
integration into  global trade . MSMEs account for  90% of enterprises and almost 70% of jobs 
globally, but represent only a small share of international  trade as few  of them export directly.  
1.3.  From the beginning the Group has  been inclusive and open to all Members. We have 
encouraged the participation of all WTO Members in our activities and discussions.  
1.4.  From 19 Members in May, the Group has now gr own to 39  Members , counting the EU as one . 
We are develop ed and develop ing economies,  LDCs, large and small economies, and Members 
from different regions  of the world . Our Members are: Afghanistan ; Albania; Argentina ; Brazil ; 
Brunei Darussalam ; China ; Chile; Colombia ; Costa Rica ; the Dominican Republic ; Ecuador; El 
Salvador ; the European Union ; Guatemala ; Hong Kong , China ; Honduras ; Israel ; Japan ; the 
Republic of Korea ; Malaysia ; Mexico; Montenegro ; the Republic of Moldova ; New Zealand; 
Nicaragua ; Pakistan; Panama ; Paraguay ; Peru; the Philippines ; Qatar; the Russian Federation ; 
Singapore ; Switzerland ; Chinese Taipei ; The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; Turkey; 
Uruguay and Viet Nam.  
1.5.  Since May, we have organized various meetings and workshops open to all Members. Five 
open-ended meetings were held to discuss and foster the participation of MSMEs in regional and 
global markets: one on the first United Nations MSME Day , two in July, one in October and one in 
November . 
1.6.  During  the Public Forum  a number of events related to MSMEs  were organized, one of which 
was the working session convened by the Friends of MSMEs called "The case of MSME s in inclusive 
trade for sustainable development ."  
1.7.  On 31 October, national experts from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, North 
America, and Europe, as well as experts from regional organizations and other multilateral 
organizations, participated in a workshop entitled "How to Support MSMEs: Shar ing of National, 
Regional and Multilateral Experiences ," in order to exchange views and experiences about how 
best to support the integration of MSMEs into international trade.  
1.8.  All of these activities were well attended. They have provided opportunities t o substantively 
discuss the issue of MSME' s participation in international trade and they have been essential in 
helping to identify possible ways forward to support  MSMEs in the context of the WTO. 
1.9.  As you know, our Group has submit ted a proposed text for a Ministerial Decision on the 
Establish ment of a WTO  Work Programme on MSMEs in the WTO , to be presented at MC11 in 
Buenos Aires.  This proposal was circulated in document JOB/GC/147 on 30 October. We circulated 
the document JOB/GC/147 /Rev.1 yesterday, whic h included new co -sponsors.  JOB/GC/162 
 
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  1.10.   An Informal Open -ended Meeting was called on 6 November to present and discuss this 
draft with all interested WTO Members. More than 60 delegations participated in this open -ended 
meeting. Discussions were very positive.  
1.11.   Ambassa dors and experts from the Group have also reached out to other delegations on a 
bilateral basis. Most Members outside of the Group have been contacted directly by us with the 
intention to present our ideas and the proposal, and to receive comments and sugg estions.  
1.12.   The draft Ministerial Decision calls for the establishment of a Work Programme and a 
Working Group to have a formal space in the WTO in order to  look more deeply  into the issue of 
MSMEs , and to identify horizontal and non -discriminatory measures that could benefit MSMEs in 
international trade, taking into account  the special needs of developing countries and LDCs.   
1.13.   The Work Programme will be of an exploratory and analytical nature. Members w ill be the 
ones to decide what to discuss within this new  formal space and will determine how the WTO can 
best support MSMEs.  
1.14.   The proposal is not seeki ng to launch a new negotiation,  it will not be for rule -making , and 
it has no intention of creating a new category. It will not replace existing committees. Rathe r, it 
intends to strengthen work on this important issue  by better structuring discussions in a mutually 
reinforcing manner .  
1.15.   We, the Informal Group of Friends of MSMEs, are proposing  these steps because we believe 
it is important  to support MSMEs, and the ir crucial economic role in all economies. We believe that 
it is by working together that we can best support them ; helping them grow and develop, and 
ultimately contribute even more to economic development, job creation and inclusive growth.  
 
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