The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada serves as Canada's designated Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Study Center. Universities and research institutes around the APEC region host APEC Study Centers (ASCs). There are currently more than 50 APEC Study Centers in 20 of the 21 APEC member economies.
APEC-Canada Growing Business Partnership
The APEC-Canada Growing Business Partnership project consists of two main components.
The first component will establish a $2 million sub-fund managed by the APEC Secretariat that will support small-scale projects focused on helping micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in developing APEC economies to innovate, grow, and gain better access to global and regional markets. A portion of these projects will be specifically targeted to helping women-owned businesses overcome barriers in accessing financing, markets, and human capital. As a result, it is expected that up to 600 MSMEs will expand their businesses, which will assist in generating jobs and increasing integration into the broader APEC market.
The second component, valued at $2.49 million, will be implemented by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. It will provide Canadian training, research, and mentoring to MSMEs in developing APEC economies. For example, Canada's support will help fund research studies, surveys, conferences, and training focused on business and entrepreneurship skills, access to markets for products and services, and technological innovation.
Recent Updates
The APEC-Canada Growing Business Partnership hosted a research and policy workshop entitled:, "Change Makers: Supporting Social Entrepreneurs in Peru" in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Production, the Ministry of Social Inclusion, and KUNAN Peru. This workshop convened policymakers, academics and practitioners to assess the opportunities and constraints for MSMEs and social entrepreneurs in Peru (with a focus on impact investing and the mining economy).
The workshop was held in Lima on May 15th, 2019.
To read our previous reports and to access our toolkits, please visit: https://apfcanada-msme.ca/
For more information, please see: http://pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2015/11/19/backgrounder-apec-canada-growing-business-partnership-project
Press Release: Canada Pledges Support to Developing APEC Economies (November 19, 2015)
