The Small and Medium Enterprises Ministerial Meeting (SMEMM) held its 15th meeting in Chiclayo, Peru on 28-29 August, 2008. The policy theme of the meeting was "Sustainable Local Development to Foster SMEs Growth" which complemented Peru's APEC 2008 theme, "A New Commitment to Asia-Pacific Development".
The Ministers agreed to promote policy, business and regulatory environments that foster the establishment, growth and development of micro enterprises and SMEs. Ministers emphasized the importance of fostering SME growth as part of a sustainable economic development strategy. They also discussed policies designed to support SME development and reduce poverty within local communities across a range of areas including: sustainable environmental initiatives, corporate social responsibility, innovation management, public-private partnerships and regional economic integration.
Ministers approved the SMEWG new four year Strategic Plan 2009-2012. The priorities of the Plan are: 1) Business Environment: 2) Building Management Capability and Promoting Entrepreneurship; 3) Market Access and Internationalization; 4) Innovation; 5) Financing; 6) Raising Awareness of Sustainable Business Practices; and the cross-cutting theme, "Youth, Women and Minorities".
