A
UNITED
NATIONS
General Assembly
Distr.
GENERAL
A/RES/52/194
18 February 1998
Fifty-second session
Agenda item 97 (f)
RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
[on the report of the Second Committee (A/52/628/Add.6)]
52/194. Role of microcredit in the eradication of poverty
The General Assembly,
Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General on the observance of the International Year for the
Eradication of Poverty (1996) and recommendations for the rest of the first United Nations Decade for the
Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006),1
Recognizing that people living in poverty are innately capable of working their way out of poverty with
dignity, and can demonstrate creative potentials to improve their situation when an enabling environment and
the right opportunities exist,
Noting that in many countries of the world, microcredit programmes, by providing access to small
amounts of capital to people living in poverty, have succeeded in generating productive self-employment,
Also noting that microcredit programmes have proved to be an effective tool in freeing people from the
bondage of poverty and have led to their increasing participation in the mainstream economic and political
process of society,
Bearing in mind that microcredit programmes have especially benefited women and have resulted in the
achievement of their empowerment in a world where more women than men live in absolute poverty and that
the imbalance continues to grow,
Recognizing that microcredit programmes, in addition to their role in the eradication of poverty, have
also been a contributing factor to the social and human development process,
1
A/52/573.
98-76837
/...