Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP)
Encyclopedia
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 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. 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.
, but operates as an independent entity. It has its own governance
structure, with a board that includes practitioners and leaders from outside the donor community as well as member representation.
CGAP consists of four interacting components:
Multilateral Member Donors
Bilateral Member Donors
Foundation Member Donors
Information available through the Microfinance Gateway is submitted by microfinance professionals or collected through staff research and is primarily in English. The Microfinance Gateway works with partner organizations in France
/Luxembourg
(GRET
and ADA), Egypt
(Sanabel Network), and Costa Rica
(INCAE
) to host French (french.microfinancegateway.org), Arabic (arabic.microfinancegateway.org), and Spanish affiliate language sites.
One full-time manager and one associate work on the Microfinance Gateway in Washington, DC, and four content managers work from a partner firm in India.
The Microfinance Gateway is a project of CGAP, but provides a platform for a diverse range of voices within the microfinance industry.
Financial services
Financial services refer to services provided by the finance industry. The finance industry encompasses a broad range of organizations that deal with the management of money. Among these organizations are credit unions, banks, credit card companies, insurance companies, consumer finance companies,...
for the poor
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
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
Microfinance
Microfinance is the provision of financial services to low-income clients or solidarity lending groups including consumers and the self-employed, who traditionally lack access to banking and related services....
).
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. 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.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and operates on an annual budget of $10 million.
Organization
CGAP is housed at the World BankWorld Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
, but operates as an independent entity. It has its own governance
Governance
Governance is the act of governing. It relates to decisions that define expectations, grant power, or verify performance. It consists of either a separate process or part of management or leadership processes...
structure, with a board that includes practitioners and leaders from outside the donor community as well as member representation.
CGAP consists of four interacting components:
- The Consultative Group of Member Donors is the membership and governance body of CGAP.
- 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 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.
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.Multilateral Member Donors
- African Development BankAfrican Development BankThe African Development Bank Group is a development bank established in 1964 with the intention of promoting economic and social development in Africa...
(AfDB) - Asian Development BankAsian Development BankThe Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 22 August 1966 to facilitate economic development of countries in Asia...
(AsDB) - European Bank for Reconstruction and DevelopmentEuropean Bank for Reconstruction and DevelopmentFounded in 1991, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development uses the tools of investment to help build market economies and democracies in 30 countries from central Europe to central Asia. Its mission was to support the formerly communist countries in the process of establishing their...
(EBRD) - European CommissionEuropean CommissionThe European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
(EC) - European Investment BankEuropean Investment BankThe European Investment Bank is the European Union's long-term lending institution established in 1958 under the Treaty of Rome. A policy-driven bank, the EIB supports the EU’s priority objectives, especially European integration and the development of economically weak regions...
(EIB) - Inter-American Development BankInter-American Development BankThe Inter-American Development Bank is the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean...
(IDB) - International Finance CorporationInternational Finance CorporationThe International Finance Corporation promotes sustainable private sector investment in developing countries.IFC is a member of the World Bank Group and is headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States....
(IFC) - International Fund for Agricultural DevelopmentInternational Fund for Agricultural DevelopmentThe International Fund for Agricultural Development , a specialized agency of the United Nations, was established as an international financial institution in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference. IFAD is dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries...
(IFAD) - International Labour OrganizationInternational Labour OrganizationThe International Labour Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that deals with labour issues pertaining to international labour standards. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. Its secretariat — the people who are employed by it throughout the world — is known as the...
(ILO) - United Nations Capital Development FundUnited Nations Capital Development FundUNCDF is the UN’s capital investment agency for the world’s 48 least developed countries. It creates new opportunities for poor people and their communities by increasing access to microfinance and investment capital....
- United Nations Development ProgrammeUnited Nations Development ProgrammeThe United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...
(UNDP) - World BankWorld BankThe World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
Bilateral Member Donors
- Australia: Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID)
- Belgium: Directorate General for Development Cooperation
- Canada: Canadian International Development AgencyCanadian International Development AgencyThe Canadian International Development Agency was formed in 1968 by the Canadian government. CIDA administers foreign aid programs in developing countries, and operates in partnership with other Canadian organizations in the public and private sectors as well as other international organizations...
(CIDA) - Denmark: Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Finland: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- France: Agence Française de Développement (AFD); Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Germany: Die Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische ZusammenarbeitDeutsche Gesellschaft für Technische ZusammenarbeitThe Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit or GIZ is an international enterprise founded in 1975 by Erhard Eppler and owned by the German Federal Government, operating in many fields across more than 130 countries. It primarily works for public-sector organizations and is...
(GTZ); Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ); Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) - Italy: Ministry of Foreign Affairs (www.esteri.it); Cooperazione Italiana allo Sviluppo (www.cooperazioneallosviluppo.esteri.it)
- Japan: Japan Bank for International CooperationJapan Bank for International CooperationThe , also known by its acronym, JBIC, is a Japanese public financial institution and export credit agency, and was created on October 1, 1999, through the merging of the Japan Export-Import Bank and the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund ....
(JBIC); Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Finance; The World Bank Office of the Executive Director for Japan - Luxembourg: Ministry of Finance; Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- The Netherlands: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Norway: Norwegian Agency for Development CooperationNorwegian Agency for Development CooperationThe Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation is a directorate under the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Its task is to ensure effective foreign aid, with quality assurance and evaluation. NORAD both finances NGOs, and does its own research and projects. The current director general is...
(NORAD); Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Spain: Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional (AECI)
- Sweden: Swedish International Development Cooperation AgencySwedish International Development Cooperation AgencyThe Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency is a government agency of the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Sida is responsible for organization of the bulk of Sweden's official development assistance to developing countries....
(Sida) - Switzerland: Swiss Agency for Development and CooperationSwiss Agency for Development and CooperationThe Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation is an office-level agency in the federal administration of Switzerland, and a part of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs...
- United Kingdom: Department for International Development (DFID)Department for International DevelopmentThe Department For International Development is a United Kingdom government department with a Cabinet Minister in charge. It was separated from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1997. The goal of the department is "to promote sustainable development and eliminate world poverty". The current...
- United States: US Agency for International Development (USAID)United States Agency for International DevelopmentThe United States Agency for International Development is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas...
Foundation Member Donors
- Argidius Foundation
- Bill & Melinda Gates FoundationBill & Melinda Gates FoundationThe Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest transparently operated private foundation in the world, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. It is "driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family"...
- Ford FoundationFord FoundationThe Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
- Michael & Susan Dell Foundation
The Microfinance Gateway
The Microfinance Gateway, a project of CGAP, (www.microfinancegateway.org) is a comprehensive online resource for the global microfinance community. It includes research and publications, original articles, and organization and consultant profiles, as well as microfinance-related news items, announcements, events, and job opportunities.Information available through the Microfinance Gateway is submitted by microfinance professionals or collected through staff research and is primarily in English. The Microfinance Gateway works with partner organizations in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
/Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
(GRET
Groupe de Recherches et d'Echanges Technologiques
Groupe de Recherches et d'Echanges Technologiques is a non-governmental association supporting international cooperation, professional solidarity and poverty reduction in the countries of Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America...
and ADA), Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
(Sanabel Network), and Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
(INCAE
INCAE
INCAE Business School is a business school located in Latin America. It has 2 locations, the Francisco de Sola campus in Nicaragua and the Walter Kissling Gam campus in Costa Rica...
) to host French (french.microfinancegateway.org), Arabic (arabic.microfinancegateway.org), and Spanish affiliate language sites.
One full-time manager and one associate work on the Microfinance Gateway in Washington, DC, and four content managers work from a partner firm in India.
The Microfinance Gateway is a project of CGAP, but provides a platform for a diverse range of voices within the microfinance industry.