MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Australia Donates $6m to Laos-Focused “Making Access to Finance More Inclusive for Poor People” Programme of the United Nations

The government of Australia has committed a donation of USD 6.15 million to support the United Nations Development Cooperation Forum (UNDCF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in their joint programme titled “Making Access to Finance More Inclusive for Poor People” (MAFIPP), which is implemented by the Bank of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (BLPDR), the central bank of Laos, with the aim of improving poor rural household access to a variety of financial services. MAFIPP is expected to help BLPDR “improve the policy and regulatory environment for microfinance, promote accountability and transparency of financial services, and encourage financial services providers to be more responsive to the needs of poor households and micro-entrepreneurs.” The Australian government’s donation is expected to provide funding for the MAFIPP over the next four years.

By Makai McClintock, Research Associate

About the United Nations Development Programme:
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is the United Nation’s development arm. The mission of UNDP is to provide developing countries with knowledge, experience and resources in line with the United Nations’ Millenium Development Goals, http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/news.shtml. UNDP operates in 166 countries and works directly with national governments. UNDP also publishes the annual Human Development Report, which provides a benchmark for development from each of its country offices.

Sources and Additional Resources
UNCDF Article, “The Government of Australia commits 6.15 million USD to support the UNCDF-UNDP Joint Programme “Making Access to Finance More Inclusive for Poor People” (MAFIPP),” http://uncdf.org/en/node/1843

MicroCapital.org Article, 31 May 2012: “MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: $700m in Grants, Loans from UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Support Rural Financial Services, Agency to Focus on Sub-Saharan Africa,” https://www.microcapital.org/microcapital-brief-usd-700m-in-grants-loans-from-uns-international-fund-for-agricultural-development-ifad-support-rural-financial-services-agency-to-focus-on-sub-saharan-africa/

MicroCapital.org Article, 18 April 2012: “MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Islamic Development Bank, UN’s AGFUND, Sudanese Government Fund Provide Capital of $5m to Microfinance Institution Al-Edba’s,” https://www.microcapital.org/microcapital-brief-islamic-development-bank-uns-agfund-sudanese-government-fund-provide-capital-of-5m-to-microfinance-institution-al-ebdaa/

MicroCapital.org Article, 17 January 2012: “MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: United Nations (UN) International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Provides $100m to Ethiopia for Rural Microfinance, Bridges to Traditional Banks,” https://www.microcapital.org/microcapital-brief-united-nations-un-international-fund-for-agricultural-development-ifad-provides-100m-to-ethiopia-for-rural-microfinance-bridges-to-traditional-banks/

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