The United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) second round of survey has probed the issues and challenges faced by MSMEs. Through the survey results andcorresponding analyses, UNDP aims to provide insights that could support the development of a comprehensive recovery plan for MSMEs by the government, the private sector, and the country’s development partners. However, due to mobility limitations, UNDP was unable to gather a significant number of respondents for second phase of the survey outside NCR and sampling selection was not random. Nonetheless, UNDP hopes that this paper will lead to further collaboration among stakeholder and spur the government and policymakers into action to address the pressing concerns of MSMEs.

This paper seeks to encourage further discussion and collaboration among decision-makers and key players in the MSME sector. For those who want to learn more, a copy of the questions of the first part of the survey may be accessed through https://tinyurl.com/msmewave1Qs.

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in collaboration with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and other partners from government, private sector, the academe, and other development partners, embarked on the “Assessment of the Socio-economic Effects of COVID-19 and Containment Measures on Philippine Enterprises” with the intent to (1) determine the impacts / effects of the COVID-19 containment measures and responses to the operations and financial positions of Philippine enterprises; and (2) identify gaps and areas of improvement that can guide and inform the design of technical assistance, stimulus packages, and other financing opportunities for MSME recovery, beyond addressing the usual cash flow issues, but also to build back better and increase resilience against possible future social or economic shocks.