The purpose of the event was to discuss the opportunities and challenges faced by young entrepreneurs in the current rapidly changing economic environment, where advances in information and communication technologies are spurring new ventures in multiple sectors at an ever-increasing speed. The ‘millennials’ that are entering business today are driving rapid development of more innovative and sustainable ways of delivering products and services. This is particularly the case in the Asian and Pacific, which has huge cohorts of young entering the work force in the coming decade. Enabling these young to grow and develop enterprises will be key to rapid growth in the region. To tap this potential, policy makers need to stay ahead of the game and ensure that policies, infrastructure and financing sources meet the needs of budding young entrepreneurs in the new digital economy.
The event was held as part of the Asia Pacific Trade and Investment Week 2017, organized by ESCAP on 30 October – 3 November 2017, which gathered trade and investment policy makers from around the Asia-Pacific region to discuss how to improve policies for facilitating trade, investment and innovation.
