United Nations
A/RES/63/229
General Assembly
Distr.: General
10 March 2009
Sixty-third session
Agenda item 53 (a)
Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 19 December 2008
[on the report of the Second Committee (A/63/418/Add.1)]
63/229. Role of microcredit and microfinance in the eradication of
poverty
The General Assembly,
Recalling its resolutions 52/193 and 52/194 of 18 December 1997, 53/197 of
15 December 1998, 58/221 of 23 December 2003, 59/246 of 22 December 2004 and
61/214 of 20 December 2006,
Recognizing the need for access to financial services, in particular for the poor,
including access to microfinance and microcredit,
Recognizing also that microfinance, in particular microcredit programmes, has
succeeded in generating productive self-employment and proved to be an effective
tool in overcoming poverty and reducing the vulnerability of poor people to crisis
and has led to their growing participation, in particular the participation of women,
in the mainstream socio-economic and political processes of society, and bearing in
mind that microfinance, in particular microcredit, has especially benefited women
and has resulted in the achievement of their empowerment,
Recognizing further that the majority of the world’s poor still do not have
access to financial services and that microcredit and microfinance are the subject of
significant demand worldwide,
Bearing in mind the importance of providing access to microfinance
instruments and services, such as credit, savings, insurance, money transfers and
other financial products and services, for poor people,
Recognizing that inclusive financial sectors can offer appropriate financial
services and products to poor people,
Noting with appreciation the efforts of the United Nations Advisers Group on
Inclusive Financial Sectors to promote the building of inclusive financial sectors to
meet the needs and demands of poor people, and noting also the recommendations
containing key messages to build inclusive financial sectors put forward in June
2008,
Noting events organized for the promotion of inclusive financial sectors,
including the convening of the Global Microcredit Summit in Halifax, Canada, from
12 to 15 November 2006,
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