UNITED NATIONS ADVISORS GROUP TO MEET IN HALIFAX TO EXPLORE INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO POVERTY THROUGH IMPROVED ACCESS TO CREDIT AND OTHER FINANCIAL SERVICES
UN Expert Group to speak at Press Conference at Halifax International Convention Centre
UNITED NATIONS, New York, 8 November 2006 - Leading financial experts will gather in Halifax, Nova Scotia on 16 November 2006 for a meeting of the United Nations Advisors Group on Inclusive Financial Sectors. The Advisors Group provides advice and guidance to the UN on the issue of inclusive finance and will seek ways to increase access to financial services to the poor and to small enterprises globally. A press conference will be held on Wednesday, 15 November at 3 pm at the press room in the Halifax International Trade and Convention Centre.
"Our challenge is to overcome the constraints that exclude people from full participation in the financial sector," said UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. "The experience and expertise of this new Advisors Group will help us find ways to broaden access to the financial services that small firms need to prosper, and that poor people need to improve their lives. Together, we must build inclusive financial sectors."
The Halifax meeting of the Advisors Group, which is being hosted by the Credit Union Central of Nova Scotia, will be the second official session of the Group. The first meeting took place at the UN in New York in June 2006. Four Working Groups, addressing the broad areas of Research and Data, Regulation and Supervision, Engaging the Private Sector, and Advocacy, have been formed to focus and facilitate the work of the Advisors. The Advisors expect to hold and attend a series of conferences in 2007 to devise new means of helping to eliminate the financial constraints that too often prevent people from accessing financial services and being able to work their way out of poverty.
The Advisors Group consists of more than 20 global representatives from governments, central banks, regulatory agencies, microfinance institutions, private sector financial institutions, civil society, development agencies and donors, and academia. Members of the Group include representatives of ABN-AMRO, Accion International, the African Development Bank, Central Bank of West Africa, Consultative Group to Aid the Poor (CGAP), Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, the Government Savings Bank of Thailand, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Visa International, the World Bank, the World Council of Credit Unions, the UN Development Programme, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the UN Capital Development Fund and other organizations.
The Executive Committee of the Advisors Group will attend the press conference. The Executive Committee consists of: Mr. Joe Eichenberger, Vice President, Country Operations and Policy, African Development Bank, HRH Princess Maxima, Princess of the Netherlands, Ms. Diana Taylor, superintendent of Banks, New York State Banking Department, and Mr. Richard Weingarten, Executive Secretary, United Nations Capital Development Fund. The Advisors Group meeting coincides with the Global Microcredit Summit meeting being held on 12-15 November 2006 in Halifax, where many Advisors have been invited to participate. A background paper, list of Advisors and meeting materials are available at www.uncdf.org/ag.
Mr. Adam Rogers
Head of Communications, UNCDF
Tel: +1 212 906-6082
Fax: +1 212 906-6479
Cel: +1 917 442-0150
adam.rogers@undp.org
Ms. Hyewon Jung
Programme Manager, UN Advisors Group Secretariat
Tel: +1 212 906-6693
Fax: +1 212 906-6479
Cel: +1 646 932-7678
hyewon.jung@undp.org
