A/RES/58/221 3. Invites the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the Secretariat and the United Nations Capital Development Fund to jointly coordinate the activities of the United Nations system regarding the preparations for and observance of the Year; Recognizes the importance of scaling up microcredit and microfinance 4. services and of using the Year as a platform to find ways of enhancing development impact and sustainability through the sharing of best practices and lessons learned; Invites Member States to consider establishing national coordinating 5. committees or focal points with responsibility for promoting the activities related to the preparations for and observance of the Year; Invites Member States, relevant organizations of the United Nations 6. system, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and civil society to collaborate in the preparations for and observance of the Year and to raise public awareness and knowledge about microcredit and microfinance; Recognizes that access to microcredit and microfinance can contribute to 7. achieving the goals and targets of major United Nations conferences and summits, including those contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration, 2 in particular the targets relating to poverty eradication, gender equality and the empowerment of women; Encourages the holding of regional and subregional events on 8. microcredit and microfinance, and, in this regard, welcomes the holding of the AsiaPacific Region Microcredit Summit Meeting of Councils, in Dhaka, from 16 to 19 February 2004; Encourages Member States, relevant organizations of the United Nations 9. system, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and foundations to make voluntary contributions and/or to lend other forms of support to the Year, in accordance with the guidelines for international years; 10. Requests the Secretary-General to prepare a report on the preparations for the International Year of Microcredit, 2005, in consultation with Member States, relevant organizations of the United Nations system, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and civil society, and to submit it to the General Assembly at its fifty-ninth session under the item entitled “Implementation of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006)”. 78th plenary meeting 23 December 2003 _______________ 2 2 See resolution 55/2.