SME Strengthening and Support Program (Let's Grow this business)
UN Migration Turkey (IOM Turkey)
(
United Nations / Multilateral body
)
#SDGAction33518
Description
Under this practice, 88 existing SMEs owned by Syrians under temporary protection (SuTP) and host community members (HC) were provided with a micro grant of TL50,000 and advisory services to improve their businesses. The practice contributed to the business expansion, international trading capacity and economic growth of the beneficiaries by increasing their financial and human resources capacities and improving job creation prospects. This practice enabled existing SMEs to strengthen the viability and profitability of their businesses and create quality employment. Further, joint ventures between SuTPs and HC were encouraged to further reinforce social cohesion and integration.
IOM signed a cooperation agreement with ITC in 2019. A website was prepared for the program and applications were submitted via the www.buyutelimbuisi.org web page.143 applicants were shortlisted. Pre-selection criteria for the companies were to be established at least one year prior to programme announcement and to have at least 5 insured employees. 73 companies that were qualified for the final evaluation were invited to Ankara for interviews. The selection panel consisted of representatives from IOM, ILO, DGILF and a mentor. Further, 52 firms were selected as beneficiaries. During the application process, ITC and IOM identified 12 local consultant candidates who were further trained and certified by ITC in business development, marketing, effective communication, export, mentoring, and coaching. Upon completion of the training, consultants were tasked to offer 6 months mentoring/coaching services on strategy, market research, branding, customer relationship, setting up distribution channels, export transactions, human resources and financial management and planning. Following the successful completion of the SME Support Programme’s first phase in 2019, where 52 SMEs benefitted, the programme recognized as a good practice by UN Secretary. With lessons learned and recommendations from the first phase of the programme, to combat the negative impact of the COVID-19 on business, second phase of the programme was initiated in 2020 and further 36 SMEs were supported for upscaling their businesses and mitigating the negative impact of COVID-19 in their businesses. Currently, the Project’s duration has been extended for another year and 30 additional SMEs are targeted to be supported until 31 January 2022. By the end of the programme, a total of 2,250,000 EUR would be spent.
Improving human well-being is a fundamental objective of sustainable development. It is also a critical means and outcome of broader social, economic, and environmental development. If migrants are empowered to pursue their aspirations and apply their capabilities, they can improve their own development outcomes, as well as those of their families and communities. Ensuring the well-being of migrants, thus enabling them to leverage their capabilities, is therefore essential for achieving the 2030 Agenda. To do so, development frameworks need to be holistic, consider diverse societies and promote the inclusion of migrants at all levels. Improved migrant well-being and empowerment can promote social cohesion across communities drive development processes. In this regards, to support 2030 Agenda, 88 SMEs supported whom further reports increasing capacity of profit, export and employment generation. Further, a total of 492 SuTPs and HC members were employed through the practice.
Cooperation of IOM with ITC has contributed to the achievements of the practice as it enabled learning through globally acknowledged training modules, bringing international experience and expertise through the development and delivery of ToT program for the business advisors. This programme has positively enabled SuTP and HC to get to know each other at sectoral level and paved the way for possible collaborations. By including CSOs in the Steering Committee, their collaboration was ensured, and utilization of the local and sectoral networks maximized outreach.
The current situation with the high number of Syrians residing in Turkey, who are likely to stay, requires the program’s benefits to have strong prospects for livelihood opportunities at the local level. In order to ensure sustainability and replicability of the practice, provision of trainings, mentorship/advisory services and workshops and micro-grants are added in the programme design. Likewise, the capacity built with the certified SME business advisors is highly likely to be maintained and utilized at the field level to guide other SMEs in the future. The practice was also an example of a good practice on its offerings, which enabled to upscale SMEs with a vision to generate quality employment for migrants and HC within the UNSG’s report dated 27 July 2020 containing a review of the progress made in the implementation of General Assembly resolution 73/225 on entrepreneurship for sustainable development since its adoption in December 2018.
- United Nations General Assembly, Report of the Secretary-General on Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development (https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/a75d257_en.pdf) - Haydi Büyütelim Bu İşi! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6RgPWcJCMY&ab_channel=ZeytinCommunicat…) - Website for application to Haydi Büyütelim Bu İşi Programme (https://www.buyutelimbuisi.org/) - Drive Link for M&E Report of Lets Grow This Business Programme and Strategic Document of Labour Migration and Human Development Unit (https://iomint-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/dbezirgan_iom_int/EjcRI…)
The second extension of the program came together with the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020 in Turkey. IOM aimed to support additional 17 SMEs, which were interested in upscaling their businesses and also mitigating the negative impacts of COVID-19 on their businesses through developing a specific module on COVID-19 economic risk/impact reduction and guiding on how to keep their business relevant by identifying new strategic opportunities and business models as part of the business advisory services. The majority of SMEs declared to have faced sectorial challenges due to the pandemic. The advisors diagnosed the effects of COVID-19 and the weaknesses appeared due to COVID-19 crises and prepared short-term plans specifically to overcome these weaknesses and a long-term strategic plan for SMEs.
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Past achievements of ILO, IOM and DGILF which serve to migrants to improve their socio-economic resilience enabled the partnership which further expended with ITCs for integrated labour force. SuTP and HC owned SMEs, which were established at least one year ago prior to the program call, were the beneficiaries.
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Yelda, Senior Programme Officer
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