The United Nations Environment Programme has stated it is essential to support micro, small, and medium-sized businesses in order to face today’s difficulties, such as climate change, nature loss, pollution, and the post-COVID-19 recovery.
UNED revealed despite their contribution, SMEs are frequently disregarded as performers who move things along more effectively. It was stated that the shift toward more sustainability and circularity is being driven by SMEs.
As a result, UNEP claimed that Green SMEs confront significant obstacles in providing their help, including access to non-financial and financial support as well as in reaching markets and decision-makers.
It said, “To scale Green SME support for 2030, SEED, GO4SDGs and UNEP jointly build on their collective experiences to formulate lessons learned and critical next steps to inform this Sustainable SME Action Agenda.”
This Action Agenda targets key SME Stakeholders from the public and private sectors, including policymakers, financers, intermediaries, and SMEs.
“The Action Agenda invites all stakeholders to contribute through their experiences to the process of further developing and implementing the proposed future-proof Green SME Support Actions.
“These concrete support actions are designed through the lens of five key action areas of Green SME support such as Innovation, Non-Financial Support, Finance, Policy, and Market,” it remarked.
The United Nations Environment Programme is the authority that sets the environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the UN system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.