About the APPG
All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) exist to focus Parliamentary attention and activity on a specific issue. APPG membership is restricted to Members of the House of Commons and House of Lords, but other interested parties, such as non-governmental organisations, academics and practitioners, may be invited to attend meetings.
The Chair of the APPG on Microfinance in Annette Brooke MP (pictured right). The Vice Chairs are Kerry McCarthy MP and Stephen Lloyd MP and the Treasurer is Robert Syms MP.
A full register of APPGs can be accessed here.
Since being established by Annette Brooke MP in 2002 the APPG on Microfinance has become a leading forum for Parliamentarians, practitioners, academics and non governmental organisations interested in microfinance. The work of the APPG is both strategic and vital, to develop greater awareness and support for microfinance as a key development tool, reaching the poorest and most marginalised people in society.
Key Objectives:
- Ensuring that microfinance is afforded greater political priority within the UK government, political parties and international community;
- Providing a central forum for debate on issues relating to microfinance for Parliamentarians and interested parties;
- Challenging the Department for International Development to scale up its support to effective microfinance initiatives that target the poor;
- Co-ordinating and providing leadership for Parliamentary activity on microfinance;
- Using the APPG and its activities to educate Parliamentarians about the holistic impact of microfinance in delivering on the Millennium Development Goals;
- Maintaining an APPG which is representative of all interested parties - for example, Parliamentarians, NGO, practitioners and the private sector.
Activities include:
- Organising regular meetings in Westminster, with guest speakers tackling key debates in the field of microfinance.
- Using all opportunities to raise the profile of microfinance within Parliament, for example, tabling Early Day Motions and co-ordinating oral and written questions.
- Liaising with potential and existing organisations, including the Microfinance Club of London, and other relevant All-Party Parliamentary Groups.
- Providing an information-sharing system through regular mailings to members and interested parties.
The Secretariat of the APPG on Microfinance is provided on a part-time basis by RESULTS, a non-profit citizen’s advocacy organisation working to end extreme poverty.