2009 Latin America - Caribbean Microcredit Regional Summit
More than 850 delegates from 35 countries attended the Latin America/Caribbean Regional Microcredit Summit in Cartagena, Colombia earlier this month. One of the elements that made this Summit a watershed moment for the field was the inclusion, for the first time ever, of the plenary titled: Breaking the Rules of Microfinance to Better End Poverty: Innovations from Around the World. More than 60 percent of those responding said that the session was excellent.
We have tallied the evaluation forms on the following scale (4 excellent; 3 good; 2 average; and 1 poor). The average tally for the plenary sessions was 3.2 and the average for the workshops was 3.0. Here are a few of the comments from the delegates:
- "It still amazes me how you manage to put on these conferences, one after another, in so many parts of the world, and every one of them seems better than the last!"
- "Absolutely motivating and inspiring! Congratulations!"
- "The quality of the panelists was extraordinary."
We were honored to have the President of Colombia, Álvaro Uribe, open the Summit and to have the participation of the former President of Peru, Alejandro Toledo, the First Lady of the Dominican Republic, Dr. Margarita Cedeño de Fernández, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus.
The hard work of practitioners and individuals like yourselves is conveyed in the explosive growth and importance of the movement. Our continued collaboration has the potential to provide all people with the financial services necessary to find a dignified route out of poverty. We look forward to working together as we strive to reach the goals of our individual institutions, of the Microcredit Summit Campaign, and in doing so, end global poverty.
Please CLICK HERE to access the audio recordings and presentations from the Summit's workshops. Please also visit an informative blog and some short interviews done by Lisa Laegreid of QED. CLICK HERE for Lisa's blog.
LACRMS Cosponsor: Banca de las Opportunidades
Banca de las Oportunidades is an investment program administered by the Banco de Comercio Exterior de Colombia, Bancoldex, S.A. Its objective is to promote the access to credit and financial services to families with limited income, micro, small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurs. The network of Banca de las Oportunidades is formed by banks, commercial finance businesses, cooperatives, NGO’s, and Family Benefit Funds, who extend financial services to the underserved.
For more information, check out their website:
www.bancadelasoportunidades.gov.co
2008 Asia-Pacific Regional Microcredit Summit
Microcredit Summit Campaign (MCS) conferences provide the unique opportunity to share important innovations and advancements in the field of microfinance. Thanks to all the partners and participants, the 2008 Asia-Pacific Regional Microcredit Summit held in Bali, Indonesia was a huge success.
Professor Muhammad Yunus called it the "best Summit yet!"
One of the great initiatives to come out of the 2008 Asia-Pacific Regional Microcredit Summit was the launch of Microfinance Transparency, a not-for-profit initiative that will bring transparency to interest rate pricing. This new initiative was endorsed by institutions reaching 74 million clients (more than half of all micro credit clients in the world) including some of the largest MFIs and networks around the world.
The highlights of the 2008 Asia – Pacific Regional Microcredit Summit in Bali, Indonesia, reflect the importance of these gatherings:
- Over 900 delegates from 50 countries attended the summit. This included leaders of the largestmicrofinance institutions and networks in the region NABARD, SIDBI, Grameen Bank, ASA, and BRAC.
- Microfinance Transparency was launched to increase accountablitiy on interest rate pricing for microfinace institutions and their clients in all parts of the world.
- Distinguished speakers included President of Indonesia, Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, former President of Peru, Dr. Alejandro Toledo, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Prof. Muhammad Yunus.
Photos from the Summit
Audio and Presentations from Summit Workshops
We have used http://www.imeem.com to host the audio recordings. Please sign up for a FREE imeem account to access and listen to the audio files.
If you would like to listen to all of the speakers from one workshop, please click on the corresponding Workshop number below. That will link you directly a playlist that includes all audio recordings from that session.
The AUDIO link next to each speaker name will automatically open the iMeem playlist of their presentation. Due to website limitations, each presentation was cut into multiple files. They have been titled accordingly, to show the chronological order.
All audio files are in SPANISH, unless otherwise noted with an * symbol. AUDIO* denotes those files recorded in ENGLISH.
All Question and Answer Period audio files are recorded in a combination of Spanish and English.
We have linked all available Powerpoint Presentations. They are hyperlinked to the PPT text next to the speaker's name.
1. The Future of Microfinance: Visioning the Who, What, When, Where,
Why, and How of Microfinance Expansion Over the Next 10 Years
AUDIO Mr. Lawrence Yanovitch, Senior Program Officer, Financial Services
for the Poor, Global Development, Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation, United States
AUDIO Mr. Prakash Bakshi, Chief General Manager, Department of
Cooperative Reforms and Revival (DCRR), National Bank for
Agriculture and Rural Development, India
AUDIO Mr. Syed M Hashemi, Senior Microfinance Specialist, The
World Bank-CGAP, United States
F/shankar-man-shrestha-music-playlist/">AUDIO PPT Mr. Shankar Man Shrestha, Chief Executive Officer,
Rural Microfinance Development Centre Ltd., Nepal
AUDIO Prof. Muhammad Yunus, Managing Director, Grameen Bank,
Bangladesh
AUDIO Question and Answer Period
2. Solving the Problem of Asian Urban Slums
Mr. Dipal Chandra Barua, Deputy Managing Director, Grameen
Bank, Bangladesh
PPT Mr. Ruben C. De Lara, Executive Director, TSPI Development
Corporation, Philippines
PPT Mr. Samit Ghosh, Chief Executive Officer, Ujjivan,
PPT Ms. Ingrid Munro, Executive Director, Jamii Bora, Kenya
Question and Answer Period
3. Transformation of Microfinance Operations from NGO to a
Regulated MFI while Maintaining Social Mission
AUDIO Mr. Sanjay Sinha, Managing Director, Micro-Credit Ratings
International Limited, India
AUDIO PPT Mr. Phan Ho, Deputy Director General, National Bank of
Cambodia, Cambodia
AUDIO PPT Mr. J.S. Tomar, Managing Director, CASHPOR Micro Credit, India
AUDIO Question and Answer Period
4. Governance: Organizing, Developing, and Empowering the Board
to Oversee the MFI
AUDIO Mr. N.K. Maini, Chief General Manager, Small Industries
Development Bank of India, India
AUDIO PPT Mr. Gregory Casagrande, Founder and Chairman, South
Pacific Business Development Foundation, Western Samoa
AUDIO Ms. Emmanuelle Javoy, Managing Director, PlaNet Rating,
PlaNet Finance, France
www.imeem.com/people/01khhO4/playlist/DDdzu8hD/rewa-shankar-misra-music-playlist/">AUDIO Ms. Rewa Shankar Misra, Senior Program Staff, Microfinance,
Livelihoods and Markets, Coady International Institute, Canada
AUDIO Ms. Jayshree Vyas, Managing Director, Shri Mahila Sewa
Sahakari Bank, Ltd., India
AUDIO Question and Answer Period
5. Commercial Bank Participation in Microfinance: Options and Opportunities
AUDIO PPT Mr. Annamalai Ramanathan, Chief General Manager,
Micro Credit Innovation Department (MCID),
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, India
AUDIO PPT Mr. Chandula Abeywickrema, Network Chair, Banking with the
Poor Network, Sri Lanka
AUDIO PPT Mr. Md. Abdul Awal, Director, Credit and Development Forum,
Bangladesh
AUDIO PPT Dr. Balkrishna Kulkarni, Director, Grameen Trust India
(Liaison of Grameen Trust, Bangladesh), India
AUDIO PPT Mr. Nick O'Donohoe, Global Head of Research; Member of
Management Committee, J.P. Morgan, United States
AUDIO Question and Answer Period
6. The Floodgates are Open: Channeling the Flows of Funds for
Microfinance Effectively
AUDIO Ms. Maya Chorengel, Managing Director, San Francisco,
Unitus Equity Fund, United States
AUDIO Ms. Manju Mary George, Vice President, Intellectual Capital
Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd., India
AUDIO Prof. S. M. Huzzatul Islam Latifee, Managing Director,
Grameen Trust, Bangladesh
AUDIO PPT Mr. Mamun Rashid, Managing Director and Citi Country
Officer, Citi, Bangladesh
AUDIO PPT Ms. Roshaneh Zafar, President, Kashf Foundation, Pakistan
AUDIO Question and Answer Period
7. Innovations in Reducing Costs and Enhancing Productivity
AUDIO Mr. Amaresh Kumar, Executive Director, National Bank for
Agriculture and Rural Development, India
AUDIO Ms. Sadaffe Abid, Chief Executive Officer, Kashf Foundation, Pakistan
AUDIO PPT Ms. Anh-Tuyet Dinh, Managing Director, Binh Minh
Community Development Consulting Company, Vietnam
AUDIO PPT Mr. Md. Enamul Haque, Executive Vice President,
Association for Social Advancement, Bangladesh
AUDIO PPT Dr. L.H. Manjunath, Executive Director, Shri Kshethra
Dharmasthala Rural Development Project, India
AUDIO Question and Answer Period
8. Challenges in Microfinance, both in Agriculture and in Areas
with Low Population Density
AUDIO Prof. Aziz Akgul, CEO, Turkey Grameen Microcredit
Project, Turkey
AUDIO PPT Dr. Rashid Bajwa, Chief Executive Officer, National Rural
Support Programme, Pakistan
AUDIO PPT Mr. Meghraj Gajurel, Senior Manager, Rural Microfinance
Development Centre Ltd., Nepal
AUDIO PPT Ms. Luse Kinivuwai, Network Chair, Microfinance Pasifika Network, Fiji
AUDIO PPT Mr. Md. Abdus Sobhan, Senior Principal Officer,
Bangladesh Krishi Bank, Bangladesh
AUDIO Question and Answer Period
9. Innovations in Information Technology for the Clients and the MFI
Ms. Delphine Thizy, Regional Director for South Asia,
PlaNet Finance, France
AUDIO PPT Mr. Alexander Bloch, Associate Partner, IBM Global
Business Services, International Business Machines, United States
AUDIO PPT Ms. Aishwarya Lakshmi Ratan, Associate Researcher,
Technology for Emerging Markets, Microsoft Research India, India
AUDIO PPT Mr. Otgochuluu Chuluuntseren, Research Unit Manager,
XacBank, Mongolia
AUDIO Question and Answer Period
10. Five Cents a Day: Innovative Programs for Reaching the
Destitute with Microgrants, No-Interest Loans, and Other Instruments
AUDIO Mr. Syed M Hashemi, Senior Microfinance Specialist,
The World Bank-CGAP, United States
AUDIO PPT Mr. Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, Executive Director, Bandhan, India
AUDIO PPT Mr. Tamim Islam, Assistant General Manager,
Grameen Trust, Bangladesh
AUDIO Ms. Ingrid Munro, Executive Director, Jamii Bora, Kenya
AUDIO PPT Ms. Rabeya Yasmin, Program Head, Ultra Poor Programs,
BRAC, Bangladesh
AUDIO Question and Answer Period
11. Effective Micro-Insurance and Micro-Health Insurance Programs
to Reduce Vulnerability
PPT Mr. Minh Huy Lai, Chief Operating Officer, PlaNet Finance, France
PPT Mr. Felix William H. Martirez, Country Manager,
MicroInsurance Agency, Philippines
PPT Mr. Md. Atiqun Nabi, Executive Director, INAFI Asia, Bangladesh,
International Network of Alternative Financial Institutions, Senegal
PPT Ms. Shilpa Pandya, Coordinator, VIMO, Shri Mahila Sewa
Sahakari Bank, Ltd., India
PPT Mr. Kumar Shailabh, Chief Operating Officer, Uplift India, India
12. Microfinance and Gender: Benefits and Challenges of Targeting Women
Dr. Nandini Azad, Member Secretary, Independent
Commission for People's Rights and Development, India
PPT Ms. Sadaffe Abid, Chief Executive Officer, Kashf Foundation, Pakistan
PPT Ms. Aniceta R. Alip, Research Director, Center for Agriculture and
Rural Development Mutually Reinforcing Institutions, Philippines
PPT Mrs. Van Cao Thi Hong, Head of Family and Social Welfare
Dept., TYM Fund (Tao Yeu May Fund), Vietnam Women's Union, Vietnam
PPT Dr. Joy Deshmukh-Ranadive, Director, Indian School of
Microfinance for Women, India
PPT Dr. Linda Mayoux, Consultant, Oxfam Novib, United Kingdom
Question and Answer Period
13. Microfinance, Their Clients and Clean Energy: Making a Positive
Impact on the Environment
Mrs. Elizabeth A. Israel, President, Green Microfinance, United States
Mr. Chitta Ranjan Chaki, Deputy General Manager,
Grameen Shakti, Bangladesh
PPT Ms. Kathleen Robbins, Director of Clean Energy, Green Microfinance,
United States
Mr. Kadambelil Paul Thomas, Executive Director, Evangelical Social Action
Forum, India
Mr. Craig Wilson, Executive Director, Foundation for Development
Cooperation, Australia
14. Using Research Findings to Improve Design of Products and Services
Mr. Zahirul Alam, Executive Director, Integrated Development
Foundation, Bangladesh
PPT Ms. Annie Clara Duflo, Research Coordinator, Institute for Financial
Management and Research, India
Ms. Tomoko Harigaya, Country Director, Philippines, Innovations
for Poverty Action, United States
PPT Mrs. Frances Sinha, Managing Director, EDA Rural Systems, India
15. Good Practices in Business Development Services:
How Do We Enhance Entrepreneurial Skills of MFI Clients?
Dr. Filemon A. Uriarte, Jr., Executive Director, ASEAN Foundation,
Indonesia
PPT Mr. Sean DeWitt, Technical Program Manager, Grameen Technology
Center, Grameen Foundation, United States
PPT Mr. Amitabha Sadangi, Chief Executive Officer, Internationa
Development Enterprises India, India
Ms. Perveen Shaikh, President, Entrepreneurship and
Community Development Institute, Pakistan
16. Microfinance Investment Funds: What is the Role for Foreign
Direct Investors and Are We Measuring both Financial and
Social Performance?
AUDIO Mr. Alex Counts, President & CEO, Grameen Foundation,
United States
Ms. Julie Cheng, Senior Investment Analyst, BlueOrchard
Finance, Switzerland
AUDIO Mr. Musuku Udaia Kumar, Managing Director, Share Microfin
Limited, India
AUDIO Mr. Kyle Salyer, Executive Vice President, MicroCredit Enterprises,
United States
AUDIO Mr. Eric Savage, Managing Director, Asian Capital Markets,
UNITUS, Global Catalyst for Microfinance, United States
AUDIO Mr. Michael Van Den Berg, Investment Officer, Triple
Jump B.V., Netherlands
AUDIO Question and Answer Period
17. Overcoming Regulatory and Legal Constraints to Savings Mobilization
Mr. Nimal Fernando, Practice Leader (Microfinance), Asian
Development Bank, Philippines
Mr. Christian De Noose, Managing Director, World Savings Banks
Institute, Belgium
Mr. Keshava Koirala, Team Leader, Centre for International Studies
and Cooperation, Nepal, Nepal
Prof. S. M. Huzzatul Islam Latifee, Managing Director, Grameen
Trust, Bangladesh
Dr. Prahlad Thapa, Economic Development Coordinator, Sahakarya
Project, Centre for International Studies and Cooperation, Nepal
Mr. Mathew Titus, Executive Director, Sa-Dhan, India
18. Microcredit in Post Conflict/Conflict, Natural Disaster, and Other
Difficult Settings
Mr. Kamal Hyat, Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director,
Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund, Pakistan
Mr. Emil Anthony, Deputy Managing Director & Director Banking,
Sarvodaya Economic Enterprises Development Services, Sri Lanka
Mr. Fahmid Karim Bhuiya, Technical Advisor (Country
Representative), Pact Myanmar Microfinance, Myanmar
Ms. Bhagbati Chaudhary, Executive Chief, Forum for
Rural Women Ardency Development, Nepal
PPT Mr. Gunendu Roy, Country Program Coordinator, BRAC
Afghanistan, Afghanistan
19. Integrating Microfinance with Health Education and
Addressing HIV/AIDS
Dr. D.S.K. Rao, Asia Organizer, Microcredit Summit Campaign,
United States
Ms. Aniceta R. Alip, Research Director, Center for Agriculture
and Rural Development Mutually Reinforcing Institutions, Philippines
PPT Mr. Alay Kumar Barah, CEO, Reach India, India
PPT Mr. Tuot Sovannary, Research Coordinator, Khmer
HIV/AIDS NGO Alliance, Cambodia
PPT Mr. B.V. Subba Reddy, Communications Officer,
Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust, India
20. Remittances: What Are the Challenges and Opportunities?
Dr. Mihir Kumar Roy, Project Director, Small Farmers
Development Programme, Bangladesh
Mr. Mosleh U. Ahmed, International Market Research Specialist,
Migrants Remittance Research Centre, United Kingdom
PPT Dr. Dipo Alam, Secretary General, Developing-8
Organization for Economic Cooperation, Turkey
PPT Dr. Jaime Aristotle B. Alip, Managing Director, Center for Agriculture
and Rural Development Mutually Reinforcing Institutions, Philippines
PPT Mr. Ramchandra Joshee, Executive Director, Chhimek
Bikas Bank Ltd., Nepal
21. Baseline Data and Measurement Tools: A Deeper Discussion of
Assessing Movement across the $1/Day Threshold
Dr. Atiur Rahman, Chairman, Credit and Development Forum,
Bangladesh
PPT Mr. Md. Mustafa Kamal, Director, Research and Documentation,
Association for Social Advancement, Bangladesh
Dr. Mark Schreiner, Director, Microfinance Risk Management LLC,
United States
22. Microfinance Practice in Indonesia
Dr. Sulikanti Agusni, Assistant Deputy of Economic Affairs,
Ministry of Women Empowerment, Indonesia
PPT Mr. I Ketut Nurcahya, Chairman, GTZ-Profi Denpasar, Indonesia
Mr. Aries Muftie, Chairman, BMT Association, Indonesia
PPT Mr. M. Ramzi Zuhdi, Director of BPR Syariah Supervision,
Bank Indonesia, Indonesia
23. How MFIs Can Best Work in Competitive,
Saturated Environments
Mr. Rakesh Rewari, Deputy Managing Director, Small
Industries Development Bank of India, India
PPT Ms. Nurjahan Begum, General Manager, Grameen Bank,
Bangladesh
PPT Mr. Mosharraf Hossain Khan, Deputy Managing Director,
Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation, Bangladesh
Mr. Musuku Udaia Kumar, Managing Director, Share Microfin
Limited, India
Ms. Padmaja Reddy, Managing Director, Spandana
Sphoorty Innovative Financial Services Limited, India
The Global Microcredit Summit 2006
The Global Microcredit Summit 2006 was held from November 12-15, 2006 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. More than 2,000 delegates from over 110 countries participated at the event, assessing progress made toward the Campaign's goal of reaching 100 million of the world's poorest people by the end of 2005, and launching the second phase of the Campaign with two new goals. Those goals are:
- 1. Working to ensure that 175 million of the world's poorest families, especially the women of those families, are receiving credit for self-employment and other financial and business services by the end of 2015.
- 2.Working to ensure that 100 million families rise above the US$1 a day threshold adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP), between 1990 and 2015.
Click here for the detailed agenda of the Halifax Summit.
Click here for the papers commissioned for the Summit.
Click here for the MicroNews bulletin from each day of the Summit.
2005 Latin America/Caribbean Region Microcredit Summit
The second Latin America/Caribbean Region Microcredit Summit Meeting of Councils (LACRMS) was held in Santiago, Chile April 19-22, 2005. 1,100 delegates from 38 countries attended.
Please see the following E-news issue for excerpts from workshops from this meeting:
2004 Middle East/Africa Region Microcredit Summit
The Middle East/Africa Region Microcredit Summit Meeting of Councils (MEARMS) was held October 10-13, 2004 in Amman, Jordan. 650 delegates from 75 countries attended.
Please see the following E-news issues for excerpts from workshops from this meeting:
Volume 3 Issue 2: October 2005 Volume 3 Issue 1: April 2005
2004 Asia/Pacific Region Microcredit Summit
The second Asia/Pacific Region Microcredit Summit Meeting of Councils (APRMS) was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh February 16-19, 2004. 1,200 delegates from 47 countries attended.
Please see the following E-news issues for excerpts from workshops from this meeting:
Volume 2 Issue 3: August 2004 Volume 2 Issue 2: July 2004 Volume 2 Issue 1: June 2004
The Microcredit Summit +5, 2002
The Microcredit Summit +5 was held in New York City, USA November 12-13, 2002. 2,000 delegates from 100 countries attended.
Please see the following E-news issues for excerpts from workshops from this meeting:
Volume 1 Issue 4: September 2003 Volume 1 Issue 3: July 2003 Volume 1 Issue 2: May 2003 Volume 1 Issue 1: March 2003
2001 America/Caribbean Region Microcredit Summit
The first Latin America/Caribbean Region Microcredit Summit Meeting of Councils was held in Puebla, Mexico October 9-12, 2001. 600 delegates from 34 countries attended.
2001 Asia/Pacific Region Microcredit Summit
The first Asia/Pacific Region Microcredit Summit Meeting of Councils was held in New Delhi, India February 2-5, 2001. 2,000 delegates from 100 countries attended.
2000 Middle East/Africa Region Microcredit Summit
The first Middle East/Africa Region Microcredit Summit Meeting of Councils (MEARMS) was held in Harare, Zimbabwe October 8-13, 2000. 580 delegates from 50 countries attended.
The Global Microcredit Summit 1999
The second Global Microcredit Summit Meeting of Councils was held in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire June 24-27, 1999. 600 delegates from 85 countries attended.
The Global Microcredit Summit 1998
The first Global Microcredit Summit Meeting of Councils was held in New York City, USA June 24-27, 1998. 1,000 delegates from 107 countries attended.
1997 Microcredit Summit
The original Microcredit Summit was held in Washington, DC, USA in February 2-4, 1997. More than 2,900 delegates from 137 countries attended.
Please visit the following link for materials: Declaration and Plan of Action.
