In an era of heightened uncertainty, global trade and investment patterns are undergoing profound transformation. Against this backdrop, the OECD Committee on SMEs and Entrepreneurship (CSMEE) and the Investment Committee (IC) will hold a joint session on November 6, 2025, in Paris, dedicated to exploring how foreign direct investment (FDI) and SMEs can work together to build more resilient and sustainable global value chains (GVCs).
The session, titled “Navigating trade and investment shifts in uncertain times: the role of FDI and SMEs in building resilient global value chains” will convene policymakers, business representatives, and experts to discuss how FDI can strengthen SME productivity, innovation and resilience. The event will also address how evolving global sustainability requirements are reshaping the dynamics of trade, investment and industrial collaboration.
INSME is honoured to contribute to this important discussion, offering the perspective of an SME organization on how smaller firms can better connect to GVCs and benefit from FDI linkages. Giovanni Zazzerini’s intervention will highlight key challenges that continue to limit SMEs internationalization, such as fragmented supplier bases, limited absorptive capacity, and the need for stronger intermediary institutions. The discussion will also focus on how policy and business initiatives can better support SMEs in developing innovation capabilities, skills and access to technology.
Drawing on INSME’s longstanding experience in fostering peer to peer learning and interregional as well as international cooperation, the session will further explore how collaboration among areas with similar industrial structures can help SMEs build capacities, share solutions, and adapt to global shifts in value chains.
Through this engagement, INSME reaffirms its commitment to supporting SMEs as vital drivers of innovation, sustainability, and shared prosperity in the global economy.
Source: INSME Secretariat
