Asia-Pacific Regional Microcredit Summit 2008

Bali, Indonesia

Hosted by the Microcredit Summit Campaign and Gema-PKM, the Asia-Pacific Regional Microcredit Summit was held in Bali, Indonesia from July 28-30, 2008. The summit was rich in attendance and contents. More than 1,000 delegates from 60 countries attended the summit. It offered 6 plenary sessions, of which 1 session especially focused on Institutional Action Plans (IAP), 24 Workshop Sessions, 13 Associated Sessions and 4 Council Meetings.

The summit was inaugurated by the honorable President of Indonesia, Dr. H Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus delivered his keynote speech at the opening session. First Lady of Indonesia, Ms. Ani Yudhoyono was named "Patroness of Indonesian Microfinance" by the Indonesian microfinance community on this occasion.

In the evening of July 28 Grameen Trust and Grameen Foundation USA hosted a reception for the partners of Grameen Global Network (GGN).

During the summit, Grameen Trust organized an Associated Session on "Grameen Global Network: Experience Sharing and Programs Update" in which Professor H.I. Latifee, Managing Director, Grameen Trust, Mr. Dipal Chandra Barua, Deputy Managing Director, Grameen Bank, Prof. Dr. Aziz Akgul, CEO, TGMP, Turkey, Ms. Marie Valdez, Grameen Foundation, U.S.A., Dr. Harihar Dev Pant, CEO, Nirdhan Utthan Bank Limited, Nepal, Mr. Shankar Man Shrestha, CEO, Rural Microfinance Development Centre Ltd., Nepal and Dr. Balakrishna Kulkarni, Director, Grameen Trust India shared their valuable experiences and views with the audience. The session was chaired by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus. Large number of participants attended this session.

Grameen Trust set up an attractive and informative display booth at the Summit. Publications and information from Grameen Trust, Grameen Bank, and various Grameen partners were available at the booth.

Professor H.I.Latifee was panelist in two workshops: "Floodgates are open: Channeling the flows of funds for microfinance effectively" and "Overcoming regulatory and legal constraints to savings mobilization". His deliberations were highly welcomed and appreciated by the audience.

During the summit, special focus was given to address the development of microfinance in the host country, Indonesia. As per the estimates, despite the existence of 50,000 microfinance institutions in Indonesia, there are still 40 million Indonesians who do not have access to microcredit services. President Yudhoyono said that the Indonesian government is committed to developing the remote areas and opening access to microcredit to the residents of these areas.

During the summit Grameen Trust organized an Associated Session on "Grameen Global Network: Experience Sharing and Programs Update" which was chaired by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus.