New National Committees Created. Sixty countries have now formed National Committees to celebrate the Year. Additionally, more than 100 countries are actively engaged in the Year.
Celebrities Support Microfinance. The roster of celebrity microfinance supporters continues to grow. Legendary pop music star Roberta Flack will perform at the gala awards dinner during the "International Forum to Build Inclusive Financial Sectors." Hollywood actor Michael Douglas filmed a Public Service Announcement for the Year that will be distributed internationally.
Events Around the World:
Toolkit Launch and National Microfinance Day in Canada. During mid-October, a luncheon event for community organizations will take place in Vancouver to celebrate the Year and the launch of the Vancity Microfinance Toolkit & Partnership with MOSAIC. This event will be followed by a National Microcredit Conference organized by RQCC in Ste. Anne de Beaupré. Meanwhile, Canadian churches are responding impressively to the call made by Oikocredit to help raise awareness of microfinance. Oikocredit has challenged churches around the world to participate in Oikocredit Sunday on October 23, 2005 to promote the following theme: "Small Change, Big Impact."
Poland organizes a forum on microfinance for representatives of the Newly Independent States. Poland will host a forum on microfinance policy for the countries of the former Soviet Union in Krakow. High ranking politicians, decision makers, and national bank representatives of the Newly Independent States who are involved in developing legal acts for microfinance institutions will attend the forum.
A week for microfinance in Luxembourg. During the third week of October, the Luxembourg Round Table on Microfinance will host an event where experts will discuss three topics: the European dialogue on microfinance, rural finance and how to raise awareness among commercial banks in Luxembourg.
Closing the International Year of Microcredit in Botswana. Botswana will host several events to commemorate the closing of the Year in October. Conferences on microfinance will highlight the importance of promoting inclusive financial systems. Microentrepreneurs who have benefited from microfinance will be given the opportunity to display their products at schools, government halls, embassies and shopping centers. Finally, they will establish a "date" to celebrate the importance of having inclusive financial sectors.
Germany closes the year with a high level conference in Berlin. Three organizations, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BWZ), the Savings Bank Foundation for International Cooperation and the German Society for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) will close the year in Berlin with a high level political conference.
El Salvador will hold a conference to highlight microcredit as an essential key of the financial system. It will also host a breakfast, as part of a series that takes place every three months to analyze joint events on microcredit.
Nicaragua is organizing a Second Annual Seminar on Rural Microfinance in Central America in October. Exhibitions will showcase microenterprise products and awards will be given to the best products.
Italy will coordinate three seminars during the month. The first seminar will discuss Microcredit in the Adriatic region; next, ABI will organize a Forum about Corporate Social Responsibility; and finally during mid-October, a Regional meeting for the Diffusion of the Culture of Microcredit and its Developments in Italy will take place.
Spain is organizing its second conference on Microcredit in Europe, in partnership with Fundación Un Sol Mon La Caixa. It will also host a National Meeting of Microcredit to discuss experiences, challenges, solutions and to create a feeling of solidarity and support.
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