International Council for Small Business
Advancing Entrepreneurship Worldwide
ICSB's History
Founded in 1955, the International Council for Small Business (ICSB) was the first national and international membership organization to promote the growth and development of small businesses worldwide.
The organization brings educators, researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners worldwide to share knowledge and expertise in their respective fields through publications, programs, workshops, training sessions, and certifications.
ICSB is a not-for-profit organization hosted in Washington, D.C., at the George Washington University.
ICSB proudly holds the distinction of being the founder of the United Nations initiative for small business. The United Nations created the U.N. Micro-small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day (MSMEs Day), which is now celebrated every June 27th.
Years of Excellence
Since 1955
Countries
Knowledge Hubs
ICSB Leadership
Ayman El Tarabishy
President & CEO, ICSB
Deputy Chair, Dept of Mgmt, GW School of Business
Dr. El Tarabishy is an award-winning author and educator. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal for Small Business Management. He created the United Nations Micro Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) Day.
Ki Chan Kim
ICSB Chair of the Board
Professor, Catholic University of Korea
Dr. Kim is the founder of the Humane Entrepreneurship Research Domain and one of the Chief Researchers of HeBEx Healthiness of Business Ecosystems, a report assessing business ecosystem healthiness across countries.
United Nations MSME Day
Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day
Recognized by the United Nations and the Permanent Mission of Argentina to the United Nations, Dr. El Tarabishy worked to create a United Nations International Name Day dedicated to Micro-, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs).
Approved by the United Nations General Assembly, the proposal was presented by the Permanent Mission of Argentina and 54 countries; thus, 5.5 billion people acted as co-signers of this resolution.
From that day forward, June 27th has been recognized as the official UN MSME Day.
Learn More About ICSB
Visit the official ICSB website to explore membership, events, and resources
Visit ICSB.org