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UNCDF Participates into the “Sustaining Healthy Development: A Workshop on the Post-MDGs Agenda for Global Health”
November 29, 2012
New York, USA

UNCDF participated in the high-level meeting on “Sustaining Healthy Development: the Post-MDGs Agenda for Global Health”, organized by the Council of Foreign Relations.
The first session of the event included the opening remarks by Robert Orr, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Strategic Planning. Mr Orr emphasized progress made across some key MDGs but also highlighted lessons to learn from their implementation, such as the need to focus on accountability, health systems strengthening, and sustainable budgeting and financing.

Ruth Goodwin-Groen Named as Managing Director
November 27, 2012
New York, USA

The Better Than Cash Alliance, founded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Citi (NYSE: C), Ford Foundation, Omidyar Network, the U.N. Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and Visa Inc. (NYSE: V), today named Ruth Goodwin-Groen as Managing Director. The Better Than Cash Alliance initiative, launched in late-September, aims to empower people and grow emerging economies by supporting the shift from cash to electronic payments.

UNCDF at European Microfinance Week
November 16, 2012
Luxembourg City

UNCDF participated in a panel of funders and recipient partners at European Microfinance Week 2012 to answer questions on how funders could coordinate better.

European Microfinance Week - Financial services for youth
November 16, 2012
Luxembourg City

Maria Perdomo, Project Manager for YouthStart, led a panel on financial services for youth to a interested crowd of funders, practitioners and consultants at European Microfinance Week. All panelists are recipients of support from YouthStart, a programme of UNCDF and The MasterCard Foundation. Working with youth and financial services can be a challenge requiring negotiating regulation, institutional understanding and ability, as well as communicating effectively to a young client base. The panel consisted of UNCDF and three institutions presenting case studies on how to reach youth effectively. Benjamin Mackay of ADA discussed the Credit for Young Artisans project in Mali and Burkina Faso serving youth from 20-35 years of age.

Request for expressions of interest - MicroLead Expansion in Myanmar
November 14, 2012
Myanmar

The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) is launching a Request for Expressions of Interest for its MicroLead Expansion programme in Myanmar. The programme in Myanmar will award grants to leading Financial Service Providers (FSPs) with savings-led methodologies to expand their retail operations/services into new markets in Myanmar which are underserved. See http://uncdf.org/en/project-documents-microlead for a description of the Myanmar programme, in addition to the programme documents for MicroLead and MicroLead Expansion. The programme in Myanmar will be implemented over a 4.5 year period.

Pioneering Financial Education in Nepal
November 6, 2012
Nepal

Since the end of the civil war in 2006, Nepal has changed dramatically. Overall poverty rates have declined, almost all children now attend primary school, and women make up 30 percent of the representatives in parliament. Yet, despite these impressive achievements, almost one third of the population still lives below the national poverty line.

UNCDF in Post crisis and Fragile States: Investing in Local Economic Recovery
November 4, 2012
South Sudan

UNCDF’s economic development mandate — building public and private financing mechanisms that catalyze economic growth and improve livelihoods — is especially relevant in post-conflict settings. Together with UNDP, UNCDF is among the first agencies to assist post-conflict or fragile states in their recovery phase, providing capital and technical assistance to re-establish local governments’ capacity to deliver basic services, and helping financial service providers set up their operations to allow poor people and small businesses to begin the process of rebuilding their livelihoods.

UNCDF launched three Government-Investor Networks in Uganda
November 2, 2012
Uganda

UNCDF has launched three Government-Investor Networks managed by the Ministry of Local Government, Uganda Investment Authority, and one of the district administrations (Kayunga District). The launch took place during an event on 1 November and was attended by the Minister of State for Local Government, Minister of State for Industry and Trade, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government, Executive Director of the Uganda Investment Authority, Chairman of the Kayunga District as well as over 100 representatives of the government agencies, financial institutions, private businesses and development partners.

United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) New Executive Secretary Marc Bichler Took up his Post on November 1st, 2012
November 1, 2012
New York, USA

UNCDF, the United Nations agency that promotes economic development in the least developed countries through local development finance and inclusive finance, today announced the appointment of Marc Bichler as Executive Secretary.
Bichler served most recently as Director for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg and had accreditation as Ambassador to Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal, with residence in Luxembourg. Under his leadership, Luxembourg’s Development Cooperation implemented roughly 85% of the bilateral and multilateral aid programmes financed by the Luxembourg government, managing a portfolio exceeding 240 million Euros.

Mobile Phones Empowering the Rural Poor through Mobile Banking
October 31, 2012
RWANDA

Mobile phones are as numerous in Rwanda as the beautiful panoramic views of its famous “Thousand Hills”.  This was all the more confirmed as Vestine Nyirabagande, Urwego Opportunity Bank’s (UOB) client, sat with a mobile phone on her lap.  She laughed when asked how many of her neighbors have mobile phones.  “I don’t think there is anyone in this area who doesn’t have a mobile phone!” she said.
Vestine has only been a client of UOB for four months, but is already experiencing the advantages of financial security.  UOB is a Christian Micro-Finance bank that is motivated by Jesus Christ’s call to love and serve the poor.  It provides loan and savings products, financial services, and training to help its clients improve their lives, economically, socially, and spiritually.