BSP supports partnerships against poverty summit

AFI member institution Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) announced it will support the Microcredit Summit Campaign’s 2013 Partnerships against Poverty Summit, held in conjunction with the Microfinance Council of the Philippines, Inc. (MCPI), on 9-11 October 2013 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Manila, Philippines.

It be the 16th summit organized by the campaign, and will focus on “Partnerships against Poverty: Finance, Government, Business and Civil Society.”

The Microcredit Summit Campaign, a project of RESULTS Educational Fund, chose the Philippines as its host country in part for its excellent performance in microfinance as well as for its recognition of public-private partnerships (PPPs) as a development strategy that leads to inclusive economic growth and creates new opportunities that can significantly reduce poverty. Also, according to the summit’s official press release, the nation has been recognized as one of the countries with the best microfinance regulatory framework and has many innovations in microfinance and poverty alleviation to share.

“(BSP) is deeply committed to promoting sound and sustainable microfinance as an integral component of our overall goal of building an inclusive financial system, and we welcome the opportunity to be involved in this important undertaking,” said Amando M. Tetangco Jr., Governor at BSP.

It is expected that approximately 1,100 participants from around the globe will attend. Participants will explore some of the most advanced and successful examples of PPPs in the field of microfinance while bringing together relevant parties, including government regulators, microfinance practitioners, product design experts, providers of support services and heads of institutional multinational banks, that can work together to elevate these programs to a large scale.

World leaders that have attended previous summits include U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Queen Rania of Jordan, as well as President of Indonesia Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of Kenya Mwai Kibaki, and President of Colombia Álvaro Uribe. The 2013 Partnerships against Poverty Summit anticipates the participation of numerous heads of state, high-level government officials, and leading practitioners at the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as throughout the conference.