The Philippines will lead a regional push to bring micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), smallholder farmers and low-income workers deeper into ASEAN supply chains as the region seeks to make inclusive business a bigger part of economic growth.

Around 300 government officials, business leaders and development partners are expected at the Ninth ASEAN Inclusive Business Forum on 22 September at the Likhang Filipino Exhibition Hall in Pasay City.

Hosted by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the forum will focus on helping businesses and governments build the capacity needed to scale models that integrate underserved groups into commercial supply networks.

The gathering will advance the ASEAN Framework for Talent and Institutional Development for Inclusive Business adopted in 2025. Discussions will cover social public procurement, market access, cross-border partnerships and the draft Regional Roadmap for Inclusive Business Capacity Building and Talent Development.

The forum will also assess a decade of regional progress in inclusive business, with participants examining how successful models can be expanded across ASEAN.

A key highlight will be the launch of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) publication “From Margins to Markets: Powering ASEAN’s Economy Through Inclusive Business,” which looks at the economic and supply-chain contributions of inclusive enterprises in Southeast Asia.

The ASEAN Inclusive Business Awards will likewise recognize models from member states that integrate low-income workers, small farmers and local MSMEs into higher-value regional supply networks.

Technical sessions will provide government officials with guidance on business coaching, social procurement and impact measurement, while enterprises will receive tools on corporate inclusiveness, disability-inclusive practices and access to procurement opportunities.

The Philippines is hosting the forum with the ASEAN Secretariat, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), OECD and ASEAN Foundation.

The event builds on previous forums hosted by Indonesia in 2023, Lao People’s Democratic Republic in 2024 and Malaysia in 2025.