Enterprise development

Given that sustainable enterprises are a principal source of growth, employment, and wealth creation, ILO promotes enterprise development as a practical and effective way of creating more and better jobs. ILO has adopted a two pronged strategy to build an enabling policy and regulatory environment for sustainable enterprises as well as support in the form of business services and access to finance. The ILO approach to enterprise development begins with the recognition that, regardless of their size and of their ownership nature, sustainable enterprises are the result of combined efforts of business, government and workers, as well as of a commitment to social dialogue, social inclusion and compliance with international labour standards.

Towards that end, ILO’s support focuses on:
  1. Enabling environments for sustainable enterprises and employment, focused on improving the policy and regulatory frameworks within which enterprises and their employees operate;
  2. Entrepreneurship and business development, aimed at stimulating entrepreneurship and developing businesses that create jobs and reduce poverty; and
  3. Sustainable and responsible workplaces, focused on programs to foster the adoption of responsible and sustainable enterprise-level practices.
In targeting small enterprises, ILO also puts a great emphasis on reaching out to social economy organizations as they play a very critical role in the economy which is often not recognized. ILO is in fact the only UN Agency with a dedicated programme for cooperatives. As many in the country rely on agriculture for their living, ILO is working closely with other UN Agencies to promote agriculture based cooperatives, financing for farmer groups, and value chain approaches. In addition, ILO’s support focuses on:
  • Improving SMEs and social economy organizations’ access to Business Development Services (BDS);
  • Stimulate demand for BDS through voucher schemes, subsidize product development, service delivery models, support market analysis, credit guarantee schemes & challenge fund mechanisms;
  • Designing and implementing capacity building activities (training, study visits, tools, equipment, financial assistance) for BDS providers so that they can offer tailor made services;
  • Supporting to enterprises in formalization process.