At this event held Friday, the diplomat highlighted the importance of strengthening the technological and digital capabilities of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

These capabilities include facilitating their access to financing and promoting their integration into innovation networks, as well as harnessing artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies to enhance their productivity and competitiveness.

Peru’s participation included presentations on initiatives such as Proinnovate and the CITE Network, stressing the need to strengthen digital literacy and the capabilities required to adopt AI.

The Lima Roadmap to Promote the Transition to the Formal and Global Economies (2025-2040) and the Single-Window Formalization Portal were also highlighted at the event.

This reaffirmed Peru’s interest in promoting APEC cooperation projects on digitalization, entrepreneurship, startups, technology transfer, and the internationalization of MSMEs.

The ministerial meeting emphasized the need to deepen regional cooperation to create a favorable environment for the development of SMEs through innovation, digital transformation, connectivity, as well as access to markets and financing.

Likewise, APEC economies underscored the importance of building collaborative ecosystems that enable MSMEs to strengthen their participation in Asia-Pacific production and value chains.

The ministerial meeting reaffirmed the strategic role of MSMEs, which account for over 97% of the region’s businesses, generate most private-sector employment, and contribute around half of its output.

Strengthening them is essential to boosting innovation and job creation, as well as fostering more dynamic and resilient regional growth.

(END) NDP/HTC/JCC/MVB