尊敬的 张翼 副主任 （Zhang Yi, Deputy Director General of CICETE）

尊敬的赵文峤 主任（ZHAO Wenqiao, Director of Chengdu Hi-tech Zone）

尊敬的袁兰兰 副主任（YUAN Lanlan, Deputy Director of the CDHT)

尊敬的梁嵩 总经理（ LIANG Song, General Manager of Credit Services, Duxiaoman ）

女士们、先生们

早上好！首先，我谨代表联合国开发计划署，向今天 在成都和北京两地的各位来宾 表示热烈的欢迎！

今天，我们跨越两座城市，共同庆祝联合国中小微企 业日. Today also marks the culmination of the 2024 Re:Think UNDP MSME Week in Chengdu.

Around the world, MSMEs account for 90% of businesses, make up 70% of employment, and 50% of global GDP. They are critical engines for economic growth and innovation, and provide livelihoods to billions of people including women, youth, and many marginalized and vulnerable groups.

Due to the significant footprint of MSMEs, ensuring that they are green and sustainable is absolutely essential to our ability to tackle climate change and advance sustainable development globally.

However, with less than six years remaining to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)  - and in an increasingly competitive and fiscally constrained world economy - MSMEs everywhere are vulnerable.

The after-effects of COVID-19, global conflicts, climate-related natural disasters, and economic shocks have led to increasing challenges including disrupted supply chains and limited financial support.

Indeed, over 41 percent of MSMEs in least developed countries are struggling to access sufficient funding.

At best, this constrains their growth,[1] and consequently hinders both their ability to provide new job opportunities, and act as a source of innovation in green technologies. At worst, it threatens their very survival, along with the livelihoods of all their employees.

At UNDP, supporting MSMEs is a critical building block in our mission to advance the SDGs. In China, we have worked together with partners for decades to strengthen MSMEs’ resilience, and empower them to help drive green, sustainable development.

For example, in 2022, together with CICETE and DuXiaoman, we launched an initiative working with financial institutions and local governments to develop a digital service platform linking rural MSMEs with financial services. 
The project has channeled 240 million RMB to 1,200 rural MSMEs, and provided training on topics such as e-commerce, financial literacy, and business, focusing on small-holder farmers, women, and young people.