Enterprise development | UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

We work with countries to help their small and medium-sized enterprises grow in a sustainable manner and compete in the global economy.

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Empretec - Entrepreneurship global network

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Entrepreneurship Policy Framework and Implementation Guidance

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Business Facilitation Programme

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International Standards of Accounting and Reporting (ISAR)

News

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Jeddah Islamic Port, Saudi Arabia

Unlocking the power of entrepreneurship, innovation and technology in Saudi Arabia

UN Trade and Development shores up capacity-building and knowledge-sharing to help more Saudi businesses scale and thrive.

African carpenter making a door in a carpentry factory in Angola

Angola bets on small businesses to help transform its economy

UNCTAD fosters resilient entrepreneurship for economic diversity in the Southern African nation.

Textile industry employer and employees having a production meeting.

South Africa builds new roadmap to revitalize entrepreneurship

UNCTAD supports the country to set the foundation for a resilient, innovative and agile entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Featured podcast

Back on track: How to help small businesses recover from turmoil and return to growth

In this episode of The Weekly Tradecast, we’re looking at small businesses and ways to help them flourish despite economic turmoil with Arlette Verploegh, chief of UNCTAD’s entrepreneurship development section.

View all podcasts

Projects

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Global Initiative towards post-Covid-19 resurgence of the MSME sector

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Migrant and Refugee Entrepreneurship

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Enabling policy frameworks for enterprise sustainability and SDG reporting in Africa and Latin America

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Special initiative

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The Square for Global Goals

Recent publications

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Sustainability disclosure for small and medium-sized enterprises in developing economies: Challenges and responses

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Division on Investment and Enterprise: Results and Impact Report 2024

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Angola: Entrepreneurship Policy Review

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Promoting International Investment by Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

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Entrepreneurs riding the wave of circularity

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Angola: Report on the multistakeholder dialogue of the elaboration of the national entrepreneurship policy

More publications

Events and meetings

Intergovernmental working group of experts on international standards of accounting and reporting, 42nd session

12 – 14 November 2025

Geneva, Switzerland

FFD4 side event: Financial inclusion for entrepreneurship development - bridging the formal-informal divide

Empretec Fundraising Crash Course

24 – 26 June 2025

Dulani Business Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Empretec LogiHub Pre-Accelerator

22 – 26 June 2025

Dulani Business Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

AI x Start-ups: a conversation with AWS

Dulani Business Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Meeting of Regional Partnership for the promotion of sustainability and SDG reporting in Latin America

Documents and publications

Sustainability disclosure for small and medium-sized enterprises in developing economies: Challenges and responses

Technical and statistical report

UNCTAD/DIAE/2024/3 - 16 Jan 2025

English

ISAR Update – December 2024

UNCTAD/DIAE/ED/INF/2024/2 - 31 Dec 2024

English

Resolutions and Reports of the UN Secretary-General

Resolution 79/201: Entrepreneurship for sustainable development

A/RES/79/201 - 23 Dec 2024

Entrepreneurship for sustainable development

Report of the Secretary-General

A/79/208 - 22 Jul 2024

Contact

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