Presented by the OECD Global Relations Secretariat at the OECD Southeast Asia Regional Forum, 24-26 March 2014, Bali, Indonesia.

1. CONSULTATIVE MEETING:
SME POLICY
PROPOSAL ON JOINT ACTIVITIES
BETWEEN OECD AND ASEAN
Bali, 24 March 2014

2. Potential areas of co-operation (1)
I. Horizontal (Regional) Approach
In cooperation with ERIA and ASEC
1. OECD-ASEAN SME policy dialogue on good
practices
2. Regional SME policy capacity building
3. Comparative SME policy assessment in the ten
ASEAN member countries

3. 1. OECD-ASEAN SME Policy Dialogue on
Good Practices
• Characterisation: Establish a SME policy network
between the OECD and ASEAN member countries.
• Objective: exchange on good practices in SME policy
and supporting tools, building upon the work of the
OECD Working Party on SMEs and Entrepreneurship,
ASEAN SME Working Group, ERIA and ADB. .
• Outlook: 1st OECD-ASEAN Workshop on Good Practices
will take place on 13 June 2014 in Manila in connection
with the 34th ASEAN SME Working Group meeting.
Focus - Start-ups and Technological transfer

4. 2. Regional SME policy capacity building
seminars
• Characterisation: capacity building events (e.g. for
CLMV countries) to share and discuss instruments,
methodologies and best practices from OECD and
ASEAN countries.
• Objective: strengthen institutional capacity and to close
the development gap in SME policy between the CLMV
countries and the ASEAN-6.
• Experience: ERIA OECD Capacity Building Seminar on
SME Policy, 29 November 2013Work.

5. 3. Comparative SME policy assessment in
the 10 ASEAN countries
• Characterisation: ASEAN SME Policy Index is a
benchmarking tool to monitor the progress of the
ASEAN SME policy performance jointly with ERIA and
with the support of ASEC and ASEAN SME Working
Group.
• Objective: compare SME policy implementation across
countries and support governments in setting targets
• Outlook: The next ASEAN SME policy assessment
2015/6 and light interim monitoring of the
implementation of reforms and recommendations in
2015 (tbc)

6. II. Vertical (Country/Thematic) Approach
1. Access to finance by SMEs
2. Skills development for SMEs
3. SME internationalisation and integration in
global value chains
4. Innovation and intellectual assets
5. Alternative source of funding of SMEs
6. Inclusive Entrpreneurship (women, youth,
minority, social) and start-up support
Potential areas of co-operation (2)

7. 1. Access to finance by SMEs
• Characterisation: develop data and statistical
information on SMEs’ and entrepreneurs’ access to
finance.
• Objective: provide a frame work to monitor the degree at
which financial markets serve small businesses and
entrepreneurs and the conditions at which SME lending
is provided
• Experience: OECD and the ADB started collaboration in
the area of SME finance, launching a project on
“Enhancing Financial Accessibility for SMEs”, which
looks at policies to improve access to bank lending and
alternative financing instruments.

8. 2. Skills development for SMEs
• Characterisation: OECD Skills Strategy that helps
identify the strengths and weaknesses of their existing
national skills pool and skills system, benchmark them
internationally and develop policies for improvement.
• Objective: improve knowledge about skills shortages in
the SME sector, skills upgrading mechanisms and policy
approaches being used in ASEAN and OECD countries
• Experience: Initiative on Employment and Skills
Strategies in Southeast Asia (ESSSA), which already
engages employment and training authorities across
Southeast Asia

9. THANK YOU
Anita.Richter@oecd.org