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 microLINKS 
microLINKS is a dynamic knowledge sharing Web site designed to improve the impact of USAID-funded microenterprise programs and activities. It allows to share cutting edge research with microenterprise development and financial services practitioners, USAID Mission staff, and other interested individuals and organizations while also serving as a meeting place through which visitors can share their own experiences and knowledge. Excellent site truly essential for all those interested in microenterprise development.
World Bank Private Sector Development
Private Sector Development is key to the World Bank's strategy to eradicate poverty. This is to be achieved through accelerated growth with improved distribution and by providing governments with fiscal space to focus on social spending. This recently revised site is an entry point for information on policies, projects, etc. all related to private sector development, including micro, small and medium enterprise development. A truly institutional model for information sharing and clarity.
IDB's Microenterprise Unit
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has played a pioneering role among the multilateral development institutions, supporting the development of the microenterprise sector for more than 18 years throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. The Microenterprise Unit (MIC) of the IDB is responsible for coordinating and implementing the Bank's microenterprise development strategy. An excellent site. Do not miss their strategy and best practices.
OECD Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
The interest in Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) has come to the economic and political forefront in most countries. There is now widespread recognition of the importance of SMEs for the economic and social development of advanced and less advanced economies, through their role in job creation, innovation and diffusion of technologies. After more than a year of waiting, the SME Homepage at the OCDE is alive and well and not only showcase the activities of the OECD Industry Committee's Working Party on SMEs, but also serve as a navigational tool for the Internet user interested in SME topics.
ILO's Boosting Employment through Small Enterprise Development
The ILO's Enterprise and Cooperative Development Department (ENTREPRISE) helps member states, particularly developing countries and countries in transition, strengthen their capacity to design, promote and implement enterprise and cooperative development policies and programmes.A very good site. Do not miss their program on "Boosting Employment through Small EnterprisE Development (SEED)" and their "Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB)" program.
Donor Committee on Small Enterprise Development
The Committee of Donor Agencies for Small Enterprise Development has since 1979 provided a forum for the exchange of information and coordination of activities regarding small enterprise. It encourages consistency among donor programs by distilling lessons of experience into common principles for assistance. Their homepage is set on the ILO server in order to facilitate the distribution of the Report of the Committee on Business Development Services for SME. It contains the full report as presented to the Donor meeting Group in Geneva in April 1997 and the Summary of this report. It also contains the case studies of the International Conference on "Building a Modern and Effective Development Services Industry for Small Enterprises" which was held in Brazil in March 1999 as well as the preparatory documents for the conference on "Business Services for Small Enterprises in Asia: Developing Markets and Measuring Performance", which was held in Hanoi, - 3-6 April 2000
Business Environment website
This inter-agency information exchange site has been created to share documents and information about donor-supported work to enhance the business environment to achieve pro-poor growth. It focuses on aspects of the Business Environment that discriminate against small firms and also covers the overall approaches of governments to SME policies and institutions. Very innovative and useful initiative.
Unleashing Entrepreneurship: Making Business Work for the Poor
In this report to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the Commission on Private Sector and Development focuses on how business can create domestic employment and wealth, free local entrepreneurial energies, and help achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Very interesting report which unfortunately did not focus much on the role and importance of microenterprises and the informal sector. Some of the recommendations are very good such as getting an enabling business environment while others, such as formalizing the informal sector or having large enterprises tailor their products to the bottom of the pyramid consumer, could be challenged.
Developing Markets for Business Services
This inter-agency information exchange site has been created to share documents and information about donor-supported work to develop markets for business services. Very innovative and useful initiative.
OECD Financial, Fiscal and Entreprise Affairs
This OECD site covers competition law and policy, financial markets, international investment & capital movements, private sector development, etc. Do not miss the OECD guidelines on multinational enterprises and the report on recent trends in foreign direct investments.
USAID - Economic Growth
A very interesting site presenting USAID strategy for encouraging broad based economic growth and describing USAID experiences in various countries. Do not miss their link to "more agencies information on sustainable economic growth" which leads to USAID gopher and various documents.
International Finance Corporation (IFC)
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest multilateral source of loan and equity financing for private sector projects in the developing world. Their site contains information on IFC projects and policies and also links to other interesting sites such as the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency. Do not miss IFC's annual report as well as the report on the role of Private Sector in Developing Countries.
EDIAIS
The Enterprise Development Impact Assessment Information Service (EDIAIS) was established to provide information and expertise in enterprise development impact assessment to DFID and the wider development community. Very interesting site. Do not miss the documents on assessing the impact of business enabling environments.
ILO Enterprise Forum 96
As part of its enterprise activities, the International Labour Organization has been organizing an historic forum in November 96. For the first time, the ILO has been gathering labour, employers and governments on the same stage as enterprises and entrepreneurs. This site has been recently revised and includes the full text of the forum report , the workshops proceedings as well as the various working and discussion papers.
UNDP' Info21
INFO21 is UNDP's tool for disseminating information and resources on "Information and Communications Technologies for Development" and for showing that they are not only a significant factor in the performance and growth of economies but also an effective tool to help advance sustainable human development. Very good sections on trade, business and commerce, and community centres.
Actualité des services aux entreprises
One of the main policy themes of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the fight against poverty and the reduction of inequalities. This objective is achieved through the support given to enterprises and in particular the provision of non financial business development services such as advisory services, training, technical support, information services, technology transfer, joint ventures, etc. The objective of this site is to provide a synthesis and a translation of what is done and written on the problematique of business development services (BDS).
UNIDO small and medium enterprises
The vast majority of UNIDO programmes and operational activities are targeted at enhancing the role of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries and countries in transition. This site on small and medium enterprises presents UNIDO's involvement in Policy analysis and advice, SME support systems and institutions, networking and basic technical support.
SDC Small Enterprise Development
This is the Small Enterprise Development (SED) Website of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). It includes very interesting documents such as the SDC´s current sector policy for Crafts and Industry Promotion and other issues and working papers which can be downloaded. Unfortunately the website "frame structure" is so complicated (4 frames) that it is far from being user friendly.
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Version Française
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