IPS holds National Consultation on Women owned and led Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (WMSMEs)

IPS held a national consultation meeting on ’Products with Regional Trade Potential and Associated Non-tariff Barriers, with special focus on Women Owned and Led Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (WMSMEs).

This consultation was held as part of a Sri Lanka study carried out for a South Asian regional project, initiated by the United Nations Development Programme Asia Pacific Regional Centre (UNDP-APRC) with funding from AusAid. Representatives from the government and private sectors, trade associations, chambers, civil society, and female entrepreneurs attended the consultation where the preliminary findings of the study were discussed. The participants shared their experiences and provided feedback and suggestions in order to finalize the study.

Speaking at the event IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegama stressed that “Female labour force participation [as entrepreneurs] is important as it leads to an increase in socio-economic status of women and households and thereby contribute to poverty alleviation in the country.” The preliminary findings of the study were presented by Sunimalee Madurawala, Research Officer while Yumiko Yamamoto, Policy Specialist, Inclusive Growth, UNDP-APRC also joined the discussion from Bangkok, Thailand.

IPS undertook the Sri Lankan case study focusing on spice and coir sectors to strengthen the capacity of WMSMEs in South Asia to derive benefits from increased participation in trade and regional markets.

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