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BANGKOK DECLARATION BOOSTS FINANCE FOR POOR BANGKOK(United Nations Information Services)-The Conference on Microfinance Policy and Governance concluded with the unanimous adoption of a landmark agreement, the Bangkok Forward Looking Declaration on Microfinance, laying out a road map for regional cooperation and development of microfinance as an important and powerful development tool. Under the Bangkok Declaration, countries have agreed to strengthening microfinance services institutions, including the regulatory mechanisms that promote and control, such institutions, using information and communication technologies to promote best practices, and expanding linkages between microfinance and enterprise development. "The Declaration also recognized that the 800 million poor in the region need to improve their livelihoods in the immediate future. In order to do this the Declaration considered that a strong partnership between developing and donor countries for the social and economic upliftment of the poorest of the poor is essential," said a senior UNESCAP official. In closing the Conference, Ms. Keiko Okaido, Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) stated that the one reason for my confidence is that we were fortunate to have a wide range of opinions not only of microfinance service professionals, but most encouragingly and most importantly from the potential beneficiaries, the poor, which has made this conference special. "It is also very heartening to see that microfinance, after years of being considered the domain of NGOs and development agencies, is now becoming priority matter of government policy," said the UNESCAP Deputy Executive Secretary. The Conference, held from 6-8 March 2002 and attended by more than 120 participants, was organized by UN ESCAP, the Asian and Pacific Development Centre, Asia Pacific Rural and Agricultural Credit Association, the Asian Confederation of Credit Unions with support from the Japan Foundation, the Leopold Mayer Foundation, the Canadian International Development Agency, Canadian Cooperative Alliance, Initiatives in research and Education for Development in Asia and Ethnos Asia. For further information contact: Mr. David Lazarus, Chief ****** |
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