JOB/GC/192  
 
 3 July 2018 
(18-4160) Page: 1/2 
General Council  Original: English  
 
INFORMAL WORKING GRO UP ON MSME s 
THIRD OPEN -ENDED THEMATIC SESSI ON 
IMPROVING ACCESS TO TRADE FINANCE FOR MS MEs: TAKEAWAYS AND NEXT  STEPS  
The following communication, dated 26 June 2018, is being  circulated at the request of the 
delegation of  Côte d'Ivoire , co-coordinator of the Informal Working Group on MSMEs  and organizer 
of this session , and the delegation of Uruguay, general coordinator of the Informal Working Group 
on MSMEs.  
 
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Reflecting on the Informal Group of MSMEs thematic session held at the WTO on 8 June 2018, we, 
the co -coordinator and general coordinator of the Informal Working Group on MSMEs, took note of 
the following key messages from speakers and participants:  
 
1  REMARKS BY SPEAKERS  
1.1.  H.E. Mr  Mohammad Qurban Haqjo, Ambassador of  Afghanistan and Chair of the Working 
Group on Trade, Debt and Finance  (WGTDF),  summarized the morning's WGTDF meeting. He 
briefed the Group on the outcome of discussions by the Expert Group on Trade Finance in March  
and the report by the Director -Gener al to the WGTDF. Amb.  Qurban Haq jo also described the 
general discussion of the WGTDF, which included the subject of persistent trade finance gaps for 
MSMEs, especially in developing countries. Access to finance is the third greatest obstacle that 
these enter prises face to trade  and it was stressed that governments around the world should give 
priority to financing MSMEs through their public policies.  
1.2.  Mr Yaya Ouattara from the ITC presented work the ITC has un dertaken to support both 
demand  and supply -side MSME trade finance , including helping MSMEs form savings and credit 
cooperatives so they can lend at  low rate s to their members, connecting them with financial 
institutions, and automating credit scoring s. 
1.3.  Ms Hang Tran of the EIF spoke to how the EIF looks  at LDC access to trade fi nance. 
Specifically, Ms  Tran detailed how the EIF's Diagnostic Trade Integration Study helps LDCs identify 
supply side constraints and provides recommended country actions. The EIF also helps with 
institutional capacity building.  
1.4.  Mr Gerard Hartsink, Chairman of the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF) , 
explained how a Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) – a 20-digit alpha -numeric code that profiles "who is 
who" and "who owns what" – is used for identifying businesses involve d in international financial 
transactions and its importance for MSMEs. The data is made available free of charge and can be 
downloaded daily. GLEIF is a n independent , non -policy -oriented organization that developed from 
the G -20 but is accessible to all n ations. The foundation includ es 71 regulators across 
50 countries. Regulators are also now using LEI in legislation. For example , in Pakistan the LEI is 
legislated as a requirement for loans.  Mr Hartsink noted that the GLEIF was open to cooperation 
with In ternational Organizations.  
2  DISCUSSION  
2.1.  Several members shared their national experiences and presented the various policies and 
programmes they have in place at the national level .  JOB/GC/192  
 
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  2.2.  The need for more tools to assess the creditworthiness of MSMEs  was stresse d, along with 
the need for enhanced access to information and training.  
2.3.  Members expressed interest in the GLEI F's initiative and asked for various points of 
clarification.  
3  NEXT STEPS  
3.1.  Members were invited to submit inputs presenting their national policies and programmes on 
Trade Finance for MSMEs by the end of June. The Secretariat would then synthesize Members' 
submissions. A follow -up discussion will be organized at a later stage on that basis.  
3.2.  The importance of continuing the discussion on the question o f identification of companies 
was stressed.  
3.3.  Members were invited  to put forward concrete proposals  with regards to access to  trade 
finance  for MSMEs so that a clear work programme  can be developed . 
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