2005 – United Nations Year for Microfinance – Year of poverty reduction

Today, approximately 3 billion people survive on less than 2 dollars per day.

Among these people, millions of potential entrepreneurs need microloans in order to start-up an income-generating activity.

Microfinance refers to the short-term provision of small loans to the people who are excluded from the traditional banking system.
Today, only 81 million people benefit from these services. However, there are potentially 500 million people who would need to have access to a loan. When including families, 2 billion people could improve their living conditions through microfinance.

By launching the "International Year of Microcredit 2005", the United Nations officially recognize the important role of microfinance in the fight against poverty and integrate it in the tools allowing to reach the "Millenium Development Goals” which aim at reducing by half the number of people living below the poverty line by 2015.

All along this year, all countries and all organization are thus invited to build events in order to celebrate the International Year of Microcredit and to set up programs allowing the poorest to have access to microloans.

In response to the UN initiative, the French government organizes on the 20th June 2005 a conference on the theme “Broadening the access to microfinance”, gathering the major microfinance actors.

PlaNet Finance, an International Solidarity Organization, supports the institutions providing microcredits all over the world. The beneficiaries of these institutions can start-up their business, gaining thus a regular income which allows them to improve their own living conditions as well as their famillies’ living conditions in a sustainable manner.

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