Final Comments
Roundtable
participants represented a diverse range of individuals from such
sectors as the donor community, United Nations entities, global
NGO networks, academia and microfinance practitioners. The diversity
among the gender and microfinance initiatives shared by the participants
not only indicates a strong commitment to continue learning and
developing the microfinance industry to better serve poor women,
but also illustrates the need for a multidisciplinary approach
as the sector evolves. As the unanswered questions in the previous
section suggest, topics discussed at the roundtable were far from
an exhaustive roster of issues and a vast potential for further
learning and innovation prevails.
The valuable contribution of presenters and participants was a
step in the continuing process of identifying and systematizing
priority issues related to gender in the field of microfinance.
It is important for future discussions to include actors from
different parts of the world and different fields of expertise.
If, as several participants remarked, bridging the gap between
gender and microfinance is a prerequisite for improving services
for women, then holding more such constructive, forward-looking
dialogues will be an important bridgestone in that effort.
