Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP)

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The Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) is a consortium of 33 public and private development agencies working together to expand access to financial services for the poor in developing countries. CGAP was created in 1995 by these aid agencies and industry leaders to help create permanent financial services for the poor on a large scale (often referred to as microfinance).

CGAP's membership structure and network of worldwide partners make it a convening platform to generate global consensus on standards and norms. As such, CGAP is a resource center for the entire microfinance industry, where it incubates and supports new ideas, innovative products, cutting-edge technology, novel mechanisms for delivering financial services, and concrete solutions to the challenges of expanding microfinance.

CGAP serves four groups of clients: development agencies, financial institutions including microfinance institutions, government policymakers and regulators, and other service providers, such as auditors and rating agencies. These four groups are the architects of the microfinance sector, as it is being integrated into the formal financial systems of all countries. To each of these client groups, CGAP provides specialized services--advisory services, training, research and development, consensus building on standards, and information dissemination.

CGAP is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and operates on an annual budget of $10 million. Its staff and resources are multiplied via a network of partners and joint ventures in the developing world.[1]

Contents

[edit] Organization

CGAP is housed at the World Bank, but it operates as an independent entity. It has its own governance structure, designed with a board that includes practitioners and leaders from outside the donor community while preserving member representation.[2]

CGAP consists of four interacting components:

  • The Consultative Group of Member Donors is the membership and governance body of CGAP. The CG has representatives from bilateral agencies, multilateral agencies, and private organizations.
  • The Executive Committee (Excom) of CGAP functions as the organization's executive governing body. The Excom is made up of donor representatives as well as microfinance industry leaders.
  • The Investment Committee (IC) of CGAP is the fiduciary oversight body that acts on behalf of the Consultative Group.
  • The CGAP Staff is the operational arm of CGAP. The staff is divided among four thematic teams and two internal teams.

[edit] Membership

The Consultative Group (CG) is the membership and governance body of CGAP. The CG has representatives from all of CGAP's member donors: multilateral agencies, bilateral agencies (development agency and/or ministry), and private foundations.[3]

Multilateral Member Donors

Bilateral Member Donors

Foundation Member Donors

[edit] References

  1. ^ About CGAP. CGAP. Retrieved on 2007-04-23.
  2. ^ CGAP Organization. CGAP. Retrieved on 2007-04-23.
  3. ^ CGAP Member Donors. CGAP. Retrieved on 2007-04-23.

[edit] External links