Events and Meetings
The APPG hosts regular meetings for Parliamentarians and interested parties to discuss pertinent issues.
A selection of recent meetings are highlighted below:
2009
December: Harnessing the power of Microfinance in Africa: challenges and opportunities
On Thursday 10th December the APPG held a high level roundtable meeting bringing together Parliamentarians with experienced microfinance professionals and academics to discuss the promise and challenges of microfinance in Africa.
Francis Pelekamoyo, former Governor of the Reserve Bank of Malawi and current Chairman of Opportunity International (Africa) opened the discussion, followed by a presentation from Gareth Thomas MP, Minister of State for International Development, on a new capacity-building fund for microfinance in Africa that is being designed by the Department for International Development (DFID).
Participants at the meeting advised DFID to build social goals such as poverty-reduction and empowerment into the structure of the new fund. For more details you can read the minutes of the meeting.
July: AGM held
On Wednesday 15th July the 2009 AGM of the APPG was held, at which the officers of the group were re-elected, and the group's finances and future business were discussed. Minutes of the meeting are available here.
April: 100 million of the world's poorest reached with microcredit
In 1997 the Microcredit Summit Campaign launched a campaign to provide key financial services to over 100 million of the world's poorest people. On 27th January 2009, it announced that this groundbreaking milestone had been reached, with over 106 million people recieving microcredit by 2007.
Sam Daley-Harris, Founder and Director of the campaign addressed a meeting of the APPG to discuss this remarkable achievment.
2008
November: APPG round-table discussion
The APPG on Microfinance/Microcredit held its first roundtable breakfast meeting on 11/11/08. The meeting brought together leading microfinance specialists from the commercial and social sector, representatives from DFID, key academics and Parliamentarians. Participants at the event discussed whether or not the growing commercialisation of microfinance is threatening to undermine its original social vision. More information will be made available soon.
July APPG meeting: "Microfinance in the Islamic World"
The APPG on Microfinance/Microcredit held a meeting to discuss Microfinance in the Islamic world. To lead the discussions we were joined by Sir Iqbal Sacranie and Abyan Ahmed of Muslim Aid and by Mufti Barkatulla and Fezal Khan Boodhoo, both experts on Islamic Financial Institutions.
To see the excellent powerpoint presentation given by Abyan Ahmed please click here. For accompanying explanatory notes, click here.
For minutes of the meeting click here.
April APPG meeting: "Microfinance: a commercial or social endeavour?"
The APPG held it's first meeting of 2008 on April 2nd to discuss whether the growing commercialisation of microfinance is threatening to undermine its original social vision.
See minutes here.
2007
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March - 'Females First: the impact of microfinance on gender equality - three continent case studies' - joint meeting with the APPG on Sex Equality (see minutes here)
Annette Brooke MP, Chair of the APPG on Microfinance/Microcredit with Joshua Perry, Microloan Foundation, Deborah Foy, Opportunity International, Julie Morgan MP, Chair of the APPG on Sex Equality and Isebail Mackinnon, Street Cred
January - 'Microfinance in the Context of Globalisation: making change work for the poor' (see minutes here)
2006
October - 'Challenging the Frontiers of Poverty Reduction: targeting the ultra Poor' - joint meeting with the Microfinance Club of London.