Shanghai Manifesto on Global SME Cooperation

Shanghai Manifesto on Global SME Cooperation

Shanghai Manifesto on Global SME Cooperation

The 1st Global SME Expo
 July 13th, 2009
Shanghai, China

Representing more than 98% of all businesses worldwide, SMEs (Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises) play a critical role in the socio-economic development of the entire global community as they are a major force not only in economic prosperity but also in social stability.

The current financial crisis has brought unprecedented challenges upon SMEs. It is against such a backdrop that the Global Alliance of SMEs is holding its inaugural Global SME Expo in Shanghai, China to strategize on the future development and cooperation of global SMEs.

To enable mutually-enriching collaboration and foster rapid, healthy and sustainable growth of SMEs worldwide, we - business organizations and government agencies from various countries in attendance, present the Shanghai Manifesto on Global SME Cooperation as follows:

  1. SMEs still face many disadvantages in today's global economy. They usually lack many if not all of the following resources: capital or access to capital, market intelligence and channels, management knowledge and know-how, and human resources. We therefore would like to call on national governments to increase their attention to and support for SMEs so that they can receive at least the same level of support as large enterprises, and to enable them to create more jobs and participate in diverse economic activities, thereby contributing to poverty reduction and economic revival for the benefits of their citizens.
  2. We understand that comprehensive cooperation between SMEs in developed and emerging economies is very important. Enormous potential exists as SMEs from both worlds offer complimentary advantages in respect to technology, manufacturing, labor and markets. Therefore, in order to shrink the gap between developing and developed countries and bring about global co-prosperity, we would like to call on national governments to create mechanisms to promote international SME collaboration, especially in the area of trade process streamlining as well as technology licensing and intellectual property rights.
  3. SMEs not only desire, but are in need of international cooperation. We therefore would like to call on national governments to resist trade protectionism, eliminate trade barriers and open their respective domestic markets in order to foster an equal, fair and free environment for international cooperation. We propose that the Global Alliance of SMEs and other participating business organizations and government agencies create a Global SMEs Cooperation Program to help initiate bilateral and multilateral exchanges and expeditiously link buyers and sellers as well as demand and supply.
  4. It is critical for national governments to improve on their services to SMEs. We would therefore like to call on governments to adopt measures to further such services as SME loan and guarantee, professional training, outsourcing, technology transfer and consulting.
  5. International SME cooperation cannot be sustained without support from local governments. We propose that the Global Alliance of SMEs and other participating business organizations and government agencies create a Global Small and Medium-Sized City Cooperation Program to assist mutually compatible small and medium-sized cities in different countries to form partnerships involving business organizations, government agencies and SMEs.
  6. It is imperative to establish a global communication platform to address SME issues and explore multilateral SME collaboration means. Therefore, we propose that the Global Alliance of SMEs and other participating business organizations and government agencies jointly hold an annual Global SME Expo.
  7. Innovative financing as well as improved services to support the funding for SME start-ups are indispensible. We encourage and support SMEs with intellectual property and potential for high growth to seek out international financing. We also propose that the Global Alliance of SMEs and other participating business organizations implement an Overseas Listing Fostering Program for SMEs and assist those SMEs in emerging economies with listing potentials to be successfully listed in stock exchanges in New York, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong or Singapore.
  8. Innovation is the ultimate economic driving force. We see SMEs as the significant source of innovation. Governments should

    a. take progressive steps to create an environment conducive for SME innovation with a focus on intellectual property protection laws and their enforcement;
    b. promote R&D and international cooperation in energy and clean technology by SMEs;
    c. encourage SMEs to adopt energy-saving and green technologies and to address climate change, energy and environmental issues and challenges together.

  9. Diversified employment opportunities, job creation, entrepreneurship and SME growth are significant factors in bridging the income gap. We would like to call on national governments to increase their support for entrepreneurship and vocational training and to streamline administrative procedures for company creation. We would also like to propose that the Global Alliance of SMEs and other participating business organizations and government agencies create a series of "Global SME Start-up Camps" and/or "Global SME Incubation Bases" in newly emerging economies.
  10. We believe in the power of role models taken up by business leaders in the promotion of SME participation in the global economy. Therefore we propose that the Global Alliance of SMEs and other participating business organizations nominate and appoint a group of entrepreneurs who:

    a. have an aptitude for innovation
    b. are visionaries
    c. are globally-minded
    d. demonstrate a strong sense of social responsibility as "Global Alliance of SMEs Lead Entrepreneurs".

  11. We understand that one major obstacle that SMEs encounter when going international is their lack of global-ready professionals. Therefore, we propose that the Global Alliance of SMEs and other participating business organizations implement a "Global SME Global-ready Professional Training Program" while integrating resources of world-renowned academic and research institutions, and hold a "Global-ready Professional Training Boot-camp" periodically.
  12. We have seen the hyper growth produced by the industry clustering of SMEs in newly emerging economies. To bring sustainable development to SME industry clusters, we propose that the Global Alliance of SMEs and other participating business organizations and government agencies create a series of "Global Industry Cluster Co-op Bases" by choosing from high-growth industry hubs in newly emerging economies.



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