Inspired by the 1955 Bandung Conference, the first Asian-African conference, Cornell University’s Emerging Markets Program is facilitating dialogues across national and continental boundaries to explore ways in which small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and social enterprises in the Global South can engage with each other and more fully participate in the benefits of global markets. Our events seek to boost the economic potential of SMEs in the Global South and strengthen their individual and collective capacity to contribute to sustainable development. As an important factor in the dynamism in many emerging market economies, SMEs in the Global South should have more opportunities to directly participate in South-South cooperation and knowledge exchange.

Led by professors from Cornell University, in collaboration with Market Matters, Inc. and Purwa Daya Bumi Daksina (PDBD) and with strategic support from multilateral development banks, the first public Global South SME Dialogues event is slated to be held in Indonesia in 2025.