Lima, Sept. 23, 2005.- CAN Secretary General, Allan Wagner Tizón, during the Twentieth Latin American Symposium of Micro, Small- and Medium-size Enterprises, stressed the importance of the role played by small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) for achieving socially inclusive development in the Andean Community.

He underscored the need to promote territorial development based on the performance of micro, small- and medium-size businesses and their effective participation in the markets, thereby contributing to the creation of employment, the democratizing of opportunities and citizen participation –in other words, social inclusion.

In specifying the contribution of SMEs to employment generation and income redistribution in the subregion, Wagner reported that in Bolivia they account for 60% of the working population; in Ecuador, they employ 40% of the EAP; in Colombia they provide 65% of the jobs and produce over 35% of GDP; in Peru, they contribute 42.1% of GDP and constitute 72% of the EAP; and in Venezuela they are responsible for 13% of GDP and employ 55% of the active population.

He pointed out that the Andean Community’s commitments to SMEs are to join forces to favor them within the Community; to create Community legislation to strengthen SMEs and to facilitate their access to markets so that they can participate competitively in international scenarios.

For that reason, he added, we have Andean Rules for SMEs, establishing mechanisms to facilitate their performance and access to market, financial and legal opportunities, and the Andean Guarantee System, a Community mechanism to strengthen national guarantee funds.

Wagner explained that an initial and very important step has been taken at the South American level to identify elements for mutual cooperation and strengthening among regional and subregional organizations involved with SMEs. This occurred during the first meeting with the Mercosur this past July to put together an interinstitutional agenda of cooperation on the matter.

He went on to underscore the CAN’s interest in continuing to move ahead on the matter and to incorporate in that undertaking both government and private national institutions associated with SME programs, like the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Service (SEBRAE), with which the Andean Community will shortly sign a cooperation agreement.

In concluding, he thanked the Latin American Organization of Micro, Small- and Medium-size Enterprises (OLAMP), for trusting the CAN General Secretariat to organize the Twentieth SLAMP Symposium, together with organizations likes PROMPYME and the National Chamber of Production and Enterprise (CANPRODEM).