Reflections on the Inter-American Support for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises The participants in the III Inter-American Dialogue of High-Level Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Authorities –organized by the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Secretariat for Micro and Small Enterprise of the Presidency of the Republic of Brazil with the support of the Government of Canada and the Brazilian Service for Micro and Small Enterprises (SEBRAE)—meeting in Brasilia, Brazil, on November 11-12, 2013, agreed to join efforts to support, through public policies and programs, the internationalization of micro, small and medium enterprises in the Americas, guided by the following considerations:

Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are the backbone of the economy of the Americas and are a crucial to job creation and the process of economic and social integration of the countries in the region.

Although MSMEs are the most sensitive to changes in the business environment and the most affected by the excessive and unnecessary administrative burdens, these are companies with great capacity to adapt to changes in technology and the global market, when operating in a nurturing environment.

The ability to harness the potential for growth, job creation and innovation of MSMEs will be decisive for the prosperity of the region. Creating an environment conducive to the internationalization of MSMEs will contribute to growth and economic development.

The nature of MSMEs, as well as the international, regional, national and local environment in which they operate, is very heterogeneous. Therefore, policies that support their internationalization should take account this diversity with actions and coordinated strategies at different levels of intervention.

The participants in the III Inter-American Dialogue of High-Level Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, with the purpose of promoting MSME internationalization and improving the environment in which they operate, put forward this document whose guidelines they agree to develop within the scope of their competencies.

These reflections are based on principles that guide the design and implementation of public policies for creating the conditions for the internationalization of MSMEs in an environment of equal treatment and of improvement of the fiscal, legal and administrative framework in which they operate.

The authorities responsible for MSME public policy of countries of the region, aware of the role of states in defining and establishing strategies for the internationalization of firms, undertake to ensure, within their competencies and in accordance with their development policies, plans and strategies, and the fiscal, legal and administrative framework of each of them, the development and fulfillment of the following principles:

• Promote the establishment of bilateral agreements between countries of the continent in order to facilitate trade among MSMEs from the region.
• Increase awareness about the opportunities that trade agreements and international markets provide for the development of the activities of MSMEs and entrepreneurs.
• Promote the development and dissemination of tools to support the internationalization of MSMEs from the region enabling them to grow and insert themselves into regional and global value chains.
• Promote the cooperation among MSMEs from the region through strategic alliances, including the development of productive integration projects in priority development areas of each country.
• Promote public-private partnerships to finance the internationalization of MSMEs.
• Promote public-private-academia partnerships that, through the small business development centers and other initiatives, provide technical assistance and integral support to the sector so as to improve its productivity and competitiveness facilitating the commercial interconnection of MSMEs.
• Promote the development of MSME activities in markets of the region on the basis of the principles of equal opportunity, simplification of national legislation, legal certainty and regulatory stability which are necessary for designing sustainable business projects and creating quality jobs and social inclusion.
• Promote a predictable and coherent fiscal regime for MSMEs and new entrepreneurs favoring them with a less burdensome tax regime and the simplification of procedures to facilitate their growth and sustainability.
• Call for greater policy coherence among governments and institutions at the national, regional and international levels to facilitate the development of MSMEs.
• Promote innovation in micro, small and medium enterprises to ensure their effective participation in the internationalization processes.
• Promote a change in approach when designing policies for business development putting the emphasis on the development stage of the firms instead of focusing on their size.
• Provide information to MSMEs and entrepreneurs on advantageous tax policies for their establishment and development (benefits, exemptions, etc.), as well as maintain specialized technical assistance to facilitate the implementation of simplified procedures.
• Promote regional projects to make more visible the participation of MSMEs in export statistics of each country.
• Identify key barriers that MSMEs face in accessing financing, promoting public policies that facilitate the channeling of funds through both traditional systems and other funding mechanisms for their internationalization, and developing systems of guarantees that facilitate their access to credit.
• Facilitate the participation of MSMEs in government procurement by identifying opportunities in the regional market and the simplification of procedures, including guidance and expert support throughout the process, in accordance with national legislation.
• Encourage the establishment of online portals to connect MSMEs in the region interested in buying and selling products and services. With the purpose of following-up on our shared effort to support MSME development, progress made by countries will be documented, with the support of the OAS and other organization working on MSME issues, to be presented on the occasion of the IV Inter-American Dialogue of High-Level MSME Authorities. Emphasis will be placed on the following areas: Simplification of procedures to facilitate MSMEs' access to internationalization opportunities and the regional market as well as other legal initiatives supporting MSMEs. Convergence of the different virtual business platforms, with the assistance of the network of MSME support institutions, such as the SBDC.Global platform, SEBRAE's Central de Oportunidades, ConnectAmericas and other regional initiatives. Strengthening of the Comunidad PYME online portal by linking the competent authorities as focal points to provide up-to-date information, including statistics, indicators, legal and regulatory framework, to support countries' public policies on MSMEs. Regional cooperation based on good practices related to institutional models and legal frameworks cognizant of the fact that the more we share, the more we learn and the more we strengthen our institutional capacities. Promote the development and dissemination of tools for facilitating the internationalization of MSMEs to allow them to grow and participate in regional and global value chains. Special attention should be given to the development of specialized tools to promote internationalization projects of women entrepreneurs.