Innovating, gaining market share and fostering social inclusion: success stories in SME development

This document represents a contribution made by the Tripartite Committee comprising the Organization of American States (OAS), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) to the fourth Ministerial Meeting of the Pathways to Prosperity in the Americas Initiative, in Santo Domingo, on 5 October 2011. This initiative for promoting growth and prosperity provides a forum for countries to learn from each other's experience and for them to share lessons learned and best practices as they seek to put broader opportunities within the reach of everyone in the region. Fourteen Western Hemisphere countries are participating in the initiative: Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, the United States and Uruguay. OAS, IBD and ECLAC have supported this process since its launch in 2008. Against this backdrop, this document sets out lessons learned and success stories, both in the region and elsewhere, concerning the thematic areas identified as priorities for the initiative. These priorities include promoting the development of micro-, small, and medium-sized enterprises by supporting, among other things, their productive linkages and their access to credit and the global market; facilitating trade; training a modern labour force; and developing sustainable business practices. This document seeks to put these experiences at the service of the countries participating in Pathways to Prosperity in the Americas as they work to improve the living standards of their citizens. It is not an exhaustive recounting of success stories. Instead, it highlights those cases that stand out for their potential impact, their replicability in a variety of socio-economic and cultural contexts, their economic efficiency or their capacity to promote sustainable development.