Speeches: Advocacy for a more inclusive and sustainable economy

For 12 years, the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation has positioned itself as a committed player in the fight against poverty by promoting financial inclusion and social impact entrepreneurship. With more than €200 million in funding and more than 100 organizations supported in some 40 countries since its inception, the Foundation has built a solid history in the areas of inclusive finance, particularly microfinance, financial engineering, financing family farming, and supporting social entrepreneurship.

To promote best practices and contribute to sector advocacy, the Foundation shares its experience through various publications, organizes events, and engages in discussions with other key stakeholders in inclusive finance. The Foundation has therefore decided to share its key statements since 2018 in this new publication, "Speaking Out: Advocacy for a More Inclusive and Sustainable Economy."

For this first edition, this document is structured around 4 chapters on themes that have marked our sector:

• The first chapter contains general reflections on the need to think about a more inclusive economy.
• The second shares our various experiences in the development of rural areas, particularly by supporting impact entrepreneurship.
• The third chapter presents more specifically the Foundation's work on the program for the financial inclusion of refugees launched with the United Nations Refugee Agency and Swedish Cooperation.
• The final chapter focuses on the impact of the global economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 epidemic on microfinance institutions and their clients and on the Foundation's action to coordinate a concerted approach by donors, investors and other microfinance stakeholders to support the sector.

Crédit Agricole's purpose is to act every day in the interest of our clients and society. With this publication, the Foundation is fully playing its advocacy role in supporting microfinance and impact entrepreneurship and, alongside other key stakeholders, promoting best practices for a more inclusive, responsible, and sustainable economy.

Download the document here