Cooperative approaches to promoting SME participation in trade

The previous sections of this report identified the benefits that SMEs derive from participating in international trade (Section C) and the obstacles they face (Section D). This section discusses existing international cooperative approaches that directly or indirectly facilitate SMEs’ participation in trade. These include SMErelated initiatives in regional trade agreements (RTAs), in regional institutions (e.g. the African Development Bank) and in multilateral institutions (e.g. the World Bank), as well as in the WTO.