UN PHL calls for support to help Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises to recover, operate and continue to provide jobs

On World Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Day, Ms. Lenlen Mesina, UN Women WeEmpowerAsia Philippines Programme Manager, says, "We need to find ways to provide MSMEs the much-needed support so they can recover, operate and continue to provide livelihood opportunities to tackle poverty.

Watch her message.

The text of her message follows: 

The many months of Enhanced Community Quarantine , even if necessary, took a toll on lives and livelihoods of business owners, entrepreneurs, employees and even communities where they operate, especially the MSMEs.

The Micro, Small and Medium enterprises are the backbone of the Philippine economy, representing over 99% of business enterprises and account for over 60% of total employment. But despite this key role they play, they continue to face many barriers especially at this time.

We have seen many of them struggle from the time the first ECQ was declared and until today, as they navigate the changing landscape to keep their businesses afloat. This is made even more difficult for the women who represent majority of the MSME owners here in the country as we see them needing to spend additional hours to assist and care for family members staying home, especially the elderly and children needing care and guidance in their schoolwork too.

We need to find ways to provide them the much-needed support so they can recover, operate and continue to provide livelihood opportunities to tackle poverty. They play a vital role in the communities as they also tend to employ more women, youth and those who are part of the base of the pyramid.

The United Nations in the Philippines has been working together with partner agencies and organizations to address the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic as laid out in its revised roadmap, the Socioeconomic and Peacebuilding Framework for COVID/19 Recovery in the Philippines,  and find ways to facilitate faster and hopefully more inclusive and resilient recovery through various forms of support such as research and monitoring, tools development, capacity building, making available platforms for conversations, coordination and collaboration, and even resource mobilization.

As we celebrate the World MSME Day, lets all work together to rise above and beyond the challenges we face right now and ensure we extend a lending hand to all the entrepreneurs we know, so we can continuously harness their power to help us build back a more inclusive and sustainable economy for all.