📋 Tender Overview
Project No.
SMEWG_104_2025A
Project Title
APEC Workshop on Promoting Women-owned Informal SMEs Towards the Formal Economy
Project Status
Project in Implementation
Fund Account
APEC Support Fund
Sub-fund
ASF: General Fund
Project Year
2025
Project Session
Session 1
APEC Funding
109,999
Co-funding Amount
10,000
Total Project Value
119,999
Sponsoring Forum
Small and Medium Enterprises Working Group (SMEWG)
Topics
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises; Women's Economic Empowerment
Committee
SOM Steering Committee on Economic and Technical Cooperation (SCE)
Other Fora Involved
Other Non-APEC Stakeholders Involved
Proposing Economy(ies)
Viet Nam
Co-Sponsoring Economies
Australia; Canada; Chile; China; Korea; Peru; Philippines; Russia; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand
Expected Start Date
01/09/2025
Expected Completion Date
31/12/2026
Project Proponent Name 1
Vu Lien Huong
Job Title 1
Head of Division
Organization 1
Multilateral Trade Policy Department, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Viet Nam
Telephone 1
+842422205418
Email 1
HUONGVL@moit.gov.vn
Project Proponent Name 2
Not Applicable
Job Title 2
Not Applicable
Organization 2
Not Applicable
Telephone 2
Not Applicable
Email 2
Not Applicable
Declaration
Vu Lien Huong
Project Summary
Women owned small and medium enterprises make significant contributions to the economies in which they operate. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) estimates that 65 millions firms, or 40% of formal mirco, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in developing economies, have an unmet financing need of 5.2 trillion dollar every year (https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/smefinance). It is believed that informal SMEs even bear worse situation.
In this regard, Viet Nam proposes to hold 2-day Workshop on Promoting women- owned informal SMEs towards the formal economy, in mid 2026, in Ha Noi, Viet Nam, with an aim to help APEC and non-APEC economies and stakeholders build capacity on promoting women-owned informal SMEs towards the formal economy through sharing information, experiences, good practices, challenges and recommendations on how to promote women-owned informal SMEs towads the formal economy.
The project is expected to have the participation of speakers, experts and participants who are policy makers/regulators and women owned SMEs and or researchers from APEC economies and other international organisations such as WTO, OECD, ASEAN and other relevant APEC forum such as CTI, PPWE as well as universities, cooperatives, professional associations, etc.
Relevance
Region
omen-owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs) make significant contributions to the economies in which they operate. They also contribute to drive employment growth and fostering development in numerous economies worldwide (Brush et al.,2006; Brush &Coopoer, 2012; IFC, 2011; Mauchi et al., 2014).
According to PSU Policy
