Promoting an Enabling Environment for Sustainable Enterprises in Fragile Contexts

Promoting an Enabling Environment for Sustainable Enterprises in Fragile Contexts

Promoting an Enabling Environment for Sustainable Enterprises in Fragile Contexts

28 March–22 April 2022
The course is available in English, Français
Introduction to the course

Business environment reform (BER) is increasingly seen as a key component of development strategies in fragile settings, including conflict affected, post-conflict, post-disaster and emergency situations. Enterprises operating in fragile contexts often face business interruptions, physical damage, disruptions to infrastructure services, difficulties with supplies and shipments, and revenue decline. Small businesses are particularly vulnerable, as they tend to have fewer financial and human resources when faced with emergencies and hazards. When a community faces disasters, violence, conflict or emergencies, the ability of local enterprises to survive is an important factor in the recovery process. Businesses play an important socio-economic role: they provide jobs and incomes for affected populations, produce goods and services, and pay taxes. Bilateral and multilateral agencies that support private-sector development increasingly seek to ensure that these programmes have a component focusing on improvement and reform of the business environment. This is because an enabling environment for sustainable enterprises contributes not only to economic growth, but also to more peaceful and inclusive societies. However, introducing business environment reforms in fragile contexts is a complex and often long process. Fragile countries have differing characteristics, including varying levels of fragility, inequalities, incomes and economic performance. They are also more susceptible to rapid change, which implies that BER must be designed in an adaptable and flexible way. Stakeholders' engagement must be thorough and robust throughout the process, to ensure that no stakeholders are isolated, thus causing further tensions. Against this background, this online course aims to provide participants with an understanding of existing tools and approaches to introducing business environment reforms in fragile settings.

Who attends this course?

The course is addressed to a varied audience, with a common interest in fragility, resilience, business environment reform, and support for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. More specifically, the course is designed for ILO and UN staff, working at HQ and in the field, concerned with fragile contexts, including conflict-affected, post-conflict, post-disaster and emergency situations; ILO constituents (staff of employers' and workers' organizations, and government representatives) who are based in fragile contexts and are interested in learning how to improve the enabling environment for sustainable enterprises in their country; development and humanitarian professionals, including international experts and consultants working in the fields of fragility, resilience, and business environment reform, who are looking to understand the role and approach of the ILO to these topics; donor agencies supporting MSME and private-sector development in fragile contexts.

What are the course's objectives?

The specific objectives of the course are the following:

  • Identify the rationale for promoting an enabling environment for sustainable enterprises in fragile settings;
  • Learn the functioning and achievements of the ILO “Enabling Environment for Sustainable Enterprises” Programme, including its methodology, process and track record.
  • Understand the peculiarities of business environment reforms in fragile settings
  • Learn practical approaches, tips and strategies on how to assess the business environment in fragile settings, how to prioritize needs and how to design and structure a reform process.
What topics does it cover?

This 4-week online course includes three thematic modules plus one “hands on” module:

  • Module 1: The case for improving the enabling environment in fragile contexts
  • Module 2: The ILO and the enabling environment in fragile settings
  • Module 3: Implementing enabling environment programmes in fragile contexts – tools and lessons learned
  • Module 4: Project work, where participants define their own enabling environment support programme

Each module will include a webinar with international experts, plus a Welcome Webinar.

Why should I join?

This course is an opportunity for participants to:

  • Understand the role of business environment reforms in the recovery process of fragile states
  • Gain a solid understanding of the functioning, methodology and achievements of the ILO “Enabling Environment for Sustainable Enterprises” Programme
  • Learn the main tools and receive practical advice on how that to assess the business environment and conducting enabling environment programmes
  • Exchange lessons and experiences with specialists operating in fragile contexts

Questions? We have the answers