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Microfinance in Conflict: Strategies for Development and Peace in the ESCWA Region

Symbol: 
E/ESCWA/ECRI/2009/Technical Paper.4
Issued in: 
2009

This report tackles microfinance amidst conflict in the ESCWA region through a review of the main issues, such as the provision of microfinance services, the role of microfinance in development and the unique challenges faced by conflict-affected countries concerning microcredit and the development of financial markets. It also surveys microcredit providers in ESCWA conflict-affected countries, with an overview of the Arab World and a country level analysis of Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine. The report also analyses effective strategies for microcredit programmes amidst conflict, while focusing on the role of microfinance both in development and peacebuilding. It concludes with recommendations based on international best practice, and the experiences of different countries in the region and the world, specifically those in conflict.