On 4 August 2025, the Royal Thai Embassy in Astana, in cooperation with the Secretariat of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), the Institute of Asian Studies of Chulalongkorn University, the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion (OSMEP), the United Nations in Thailand, and UN Women Thailand, organized an international academic seminar on “Women’s Role and Contribution to SMEs Development among CICA Member States” at Chulalongkorn University. The seminar was attended by over 50 participants, including women representatives from SME promotion agencies and women entrepreneurs from CICA Member States, namely Azerbaijan, India, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, and Thailand, as well as representatives from the CICA Secretariat. Also present were representatives from the Embassies of CICA Member States based in Bangkok, namely Bangladesh, Israel, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Viet Nam, along with representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, OSMEP, the United Nations in Thailand, and UN Women Thailand.

In the opening ceremony, H.E. Mrs. Piyapin Niyomrerks, Ambassador of Thailand to Kazakhstan, reaffirmed Thailand’s commitment to promoting women entrepreneurs and SME development, noting that SMEs account for over 99 percent of businesses in Thailand, employ more than 70 percent of the workforce, and that women own over 40 percent of these enterprises. She emphasized the importance of creating an enabling business ecosystem for women entrepreneurs and reaffirmed Thailand’s active role as CICA co-coordinator for SMEs Development. Associate Professor Dr. Pavika Sriratanaban, Director of the Institute of Asian Studies at Chulalongkorn University, welcomed the participants as the host institution, stressing that the seminar was more than a policy dialogue. It was a platform to demonstrate shared commitment to women’s empowerment, inclusive growth, and regional cooperation through SME development, and also highlighting the plan to establish a Center for Central Asian Studies at the Institute. Mr. Farid Damirli, CICA Deputy Secretary General, underscored the role of women entrepreneurs as key drivers of innovation, resilience, and sustainable growth, calling for cross-border cooperation among CICA Member States to unlock women’s full potential. Finally, Ms. Panita Shinawatra, Acting Director-General of OSMEP, presented an overview of Thailand’s 5th SME Promotion Plan (2023–2027), which integrates gender-responsive policies, supports women and vulnerable groups, enhances regional and international cooperation, and emphasizes gender-disaggregated data to effectively drive women’s economic empowerment.

During the presentation and discussion sessions, representatives from CICA Member States shared experiences, knowledge, and best practices in promoting women’s roles in SMEs in diverse aspects, including scaling women’s impact from local to regional levels, government programs to support and empower women, strengthening women entrepreneurs’ competitiveness, SME funding mechanisms, creating a conducive business and investment environment for women, overcoming challenges, capitalizing on business opportunities, showcasing success stories, and advancing policy and international cooperation. The discussions also highlighted common priorities such as improving access to finance and technology, enhancing digital skills, expanding cross-border business networks, and promoting gender-responsive procurement to increase women’s participation in supply chains, both public and private, as well as fostering regional cooperation under CICA to advance SME development with women entrepreneurs as a driving force.

This seminar was an initiative of the Royal Thai Embassy in Astana, supported by the funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and close collaboration from domestic and international partners. It served not only as a platform for knowledge exchange but also as a reaffirmation of Thailand’s leadership in CICA as co-coordinator for SMEs Development under the economic dimension of CICA’s Confidence Building Measures, focusing on inclusive and sustainable economic development with women’s full participation. The seminar was an important activity under the Royal Thai Embassy’s project to promote women’s roles in SMEs among CICA Member States, organized from 1 - 10 August 2025.