Summit a Success
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.
Once again, we would like to thank you for your help and support in making this conference a success.
Partner With Us
Our regional and global summits are premier opportunities to gain exposure in the expanding microfinance community. Unlike other events, MCS summits are generally held outside the United States and give center stage to innovators in the field that run sustainable businesses serving the very poorest clients in the world.
“This is an organization whose healthy heart, coupled with its passionate and wise leadership, is making a universally critical impact and is, thus, critical to support.”
Dr. Steven Funk, Donor and Co-Founder of the Dignity Fund on the Microcredit Summit Campaign
The Latin America - Caribbean Regional Microcredit Summit (LACRMS) is an opportunity to reach out to the pioneers and the policymakers seeking to expand and improve their businesses and their government’s role in the sector. Sponsors come from diverse sectors including finance, information technology, healthcare and non-governmental agencies. Each sponsor organization has a role in transforming the face of poverty for the better.
Previous summit sponsors include:
J.P. Morgan, Citigroup Foundation, Grameen Foundation, FINCA International, Unitus, Johnson & Johnson, Qualcomm’s Wireless Reach Initiative, Temenos, AECID, and IFAD.
For additional information about becoming a sponsor, please visit our Sponsor Page. You can contact today our Director Sam Daley-Harris at 202-637-9600 or (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
. We thank you for your interest in sponsoring this unique event and look forward to a rewarding partnership.
Summit Highlights
Microcredit Summit Campaign (MCS) conferences provide the unique opportunity to share important innovations and advancements in the field of microfinance. 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.
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.
