Role of Microcredit in the Eradication of Poverty

A/RES/52/194View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 97f 1st United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty, published in 1998.

What subjects does this mandate have?

6 subjects

Conferences International Decades Microcredit Non-Governmental Organizations Poverty Mitigation Programmes of Action

What’s in this document?

12 operative paragraphs

Welcomes the launching of different microcredit initiatives in recent years, and acknowledges their important contribution to the eradication of poverty, empowerment of women and social upliftment;

Also welcomes the outcome of the Microcredit Summit, held in Washington, D.C., from 2 to 4 February 1997, which, through its Declaration and Plan of Action,⁷ endorsed a global campaign to reach 100 million of the world's poorest families, especially women of those families, with credit for self-employment and other financial and business services, by the year 2005;

⁷A/52/113, annex I.

Notes with satisfaction that, as called for in Assembly resolution 51/178 of 16 December 1996, many United Nations agencies and the World Bank actively participated in the Summit and thus contributed to its successful outcome;

Takes note of the Declaration and Plan of Action of the Microcredit Summit,6 the communiqué⁸ issued by the Council of Heads of State and Government at the Summit, and messages to the Summit from the Chairman of the Group of 77 and China⁹ and from the Secretary-General;¹⁰

⁸Ibid., annex II.

⁹Ibid., annex III.

¹⁰Ibid., annex IV.

Recognizes the important contributions being made by the United Nations system and by the Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest, sponsored by the World Bank, to develop and disseminate best practices among all organizations engaged in the provision of financial services on a sustainable basis to people living in poverty;

Encourages all involved in poverty eradication programmes to consider incorporating microcredit schemes in their strategies;

Also encourages them to adopt policies that support the development of microcredit institutions and their capacities so that credit and related services may be made available to increasing numbers of people living in poverty;

Calls upon the international donor community to support the strengthening of existing and emerging microcredit institutions in the developing countries, especially the least developed and the African countries;

Also calls upon the relevant organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, in particular its funds and programmes and the regional commissions, as well as relevant international and regional financial institutions and donor agencies involved in the eradication of poverty, to explore including the microcredit approach in their programmes as a tool for the eradication of poverty and further developing, where appropriate, other microfinance instruments;

Calls upon all concerned non-governmental organizations, other actors of civil society and the private sector to support and incorporate, as appropriate, microcredit and related services in their programmes for the eradication of poverty;

Requests the Secretary-General, in collaboration with relevant organizations of the United Nations system, including funds and programmes and the World Bank, to submit to it at its fifty-third session a report on the role of microcredit in the eradication of poverty in the follow-up to resolution 52/193 entitled "First United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty";

Decides to include future discussions of the role of microcredit under an item entitled "Implementation of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006)".

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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