"Making Markets Work for the Poor" (M4P) is an approach to poverty reduction that donors such as the DFID-UK, Swedish SIDA, SDC – Switzerland and the Donor Committee on Enterprise Development (DCED) have been supporting in the past decade. Swisscontact has been successfully implementing the pioneer M4P program Katalyst since 2002 in Bangladesh. The approach originally focusing on agriculture was broadened to include the service sector such as Informational and Communication Technology (ICT) and Media and further to traditional public services such as Healthcare.

The Fiscal Policy Reform course will take place from June 14 - 18, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. This course examines issues of economic governance and fiscal policy. If you are interested in this course, you must register at https://university.usaid.gov/.

Under the auspices of the Southern Sudan Microfinance Forum and with the support of the USAID Generating Economic Development through Microfinance in Southern Sudan (GEMSS) project, the first Southen Sudan Microfinance Conference will bring together practitioners, donors, government officials and stakeholders for a frank and enlightening exchange about the status of microfinance in Southern Sudan and the way forward. Support to the micro, small and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) sector in Southern Sudan is a critical element in improving the area’s economic potential.

The 2010 SEEP Annual Conference represents a significant milestone for The SEEP Network and will mark the culmination of 25 years of connecting microenterprise practitioners.