CGAP's vision is for poor people everywhere to
have permanent access to a wide range of financial
services. The Consultative Group to Assist the Poor
(CGAP) is a consortium of 28 bilateral, multilateral
and private donor institutions working together to
build financial systems that serve the poor in developing
countries. CGAP functions as a resource center to
the industry by facilitating the development of standards,
developing operational tools, providing technical
and advisory services, delivering training and disseminating
information on best practices and lessons learned
in microfinance.
"The Year of Microcredit will introduce microfinance to audiences that may
not be familiar with financial services for the poor, and raise the public's
level of consciousness about microfinance — not as a niche development
sector but as an integral part of national and international financial systems."
-- Elizabeth Littlefield, CEO, CGAP