CROSQ/IDB-MIF Project

PROMOTING SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISE COMPETITIVENESS IN THE CARIBBEAN THROUGH TECHNICAL STANDARDS
(RG-M1022)

The goal of the project is to strengthen the competitiveness of recipient Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) by involving them in industry, country and region-wide standardisation efforts to facilitate trade in goods and services and promote regional, hemispheric and global integration. Its purpose is to build on the existing infrastructure of regional standardisation and develop a model for technical standard settinsg, demonstrating to government and the private sector its strategic importance for trade facilitation and, hence, the need to ensure its sustainability through a steady demand for standards development with an increasingly large share of co-financing furnished by stakeholders.

The project will achieve this through four components, namely:

1. Awareness-raising activities for the public and private sectors;
2. Development of technical standards and conformity assessment guidelines;
3. Training; and
4. Establishment of a national and regional information system and the training of country experts involved in standardisation work.

Project outputs include sensitizing SME owners and Public Sector agencies to the importance of technical standards for exportable products; developing twenty-five (25) normative documents for exportable products; “coaching” twelve (12) pilot SMEs; and training personnel of SME Sector support agencies.

The Project is four (4) years in duration, with total estimated costs of approximately US$1.8 million. Thid is financed in part by non-reimbursable funds allocated by the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) through its Technical Cooperation Facility with the Inter-american Development Bank (IDB) and CROSQ counterpart funds. The Donors Memorandum can be accessed here.

For further information please contact the Project Execution Unit at: peu@crosq.org.