SMEs Empowerment, Solution to Global Challenges – UNEP

United Nations Environment Programme has stated that to overcome today’s challenges which include climate change, nature loss, pollution, and the post-COVID-19 recovery, it is crucial to empower micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

It noted that SMEs are the game-changers of the transition towards more sustainability and circularity.

Despite their contribution, however, they are frequently overlooked as actors who build forward better. Therefore, Green SMEs face major challenges in delivering their support, such as access to non-financial and financial support as well as in accessing markets and policy makers, the global body stated.

It said, “To scale Green SME support for 2030, SEED, GO4SDGs and UNEP jointly build on their collective experiences to formulate lessons learned and critical next steps to inform this Sustainable SME Action Agenda.”
This Action Agenda targets key SME Stakeholders from the public and private sectors, including policymakers, financers, intermediaries, and SMEs.

“The Action Agenda invites all stakeholders to contribute through their experiences to the process of further developing and implementing the proposed future-proof Green SME Support Actions.

“These concrete support actions are designed through the lens of five key action areas of Green SME support such as Innovation, Non-Financial Support, Finance, Policy, and Market,” it remarked.
The United Nations Environment Programme is the authority that sets the environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the UN system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.