Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day 2020

27 June is Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day. A day recognised by the United Nations, it raises awareness of entrepreneurs’ positive contributions to sustainable development and the global economy.

It’s a fact that young entrepreneurs have a positive impact on their local communities and the economy. Through their determination and work, young business owners help tackle unemployment, combat poverty and inequality, and support future economic development.

Despite all of this, there are 64 million young people currently unemployed across the world whose potential is not being realised. Too many underserved young people, those from a refugee or migrant background, young people living with disabilities, women and young people in rural communities aren't receiving the support they need to build their business. Starting a business at the best of times is a challenging experience. Now, with the Covid-19 crisis, young entrepreneurs face even more barriers to accessing the appropriate support.

On this day, we want to share with you the experiences of some of the successful young entrepreneurs we have helped create and grow their small business, as well as some of our key current support projects.

How does Youth Business International support micro and small business owners around the world?

We believe that underserved young entrepreneurs are the key to sustainable growth in their communities. All over the world - from Peru to Bangladesh, from the UK to Kenya, - the YBI network runs programmes that help young people release their entrepreneurial potential.

During the current COVID-19 crisis, many businesses have had to close or have seen their income reduced dramatically. We have scaled our work and adapted our programmes and services to meet their needs and support small businesses. Read more about our Global Response to COVID-19.