We have the obligation to ensure they can. While all this is beneficial, financial services alone are not enough to lift many households out of poverty. Investment in non-financial components such as business development services for poor entrepreneurs, policy reforms, applied research and impact studies, and dissemination of best practices are important services that not only build the field, but also combine to forge more powerful tools for helping the poor help themselves. This, together with microcredit, microenterprise and microfinance schemes, are our strongest instruments for increasing development and unleashing the democratic progress of people around the world. Mr. Chairman, these programs reflect the widely shared belief that economic development must benefit all sectors of society, including women who live in households with little or no assets, if it is to be sustainable and just.
Governments have a key role to play in alleviating poverty.
They should be actively engaged in providing health, housing, nutrition, education, infrastructure, and access to land to help the poor. To succeed in combatting poverty, governments must strengthen, encourage and protect civil society, local, independent agencies, women's groups and non-governmental organizations working in their countries. Poverty alleviation has to be a national priority for all. Support of macroeconomic and microeconomic policies are necessary for enabling small and microbusinesses to flourish. With respect to the many private and non-governmental microcredit and microfinance institutions, the primary role of governments should be to ensure an adequate regulatory and supervisory structure.