Congress finds and declares the following:
(1) Access to financial services and the development of microenterprise are vital factors in the stable growth of developing countries and in the development of free, open, and equitable international economic systems.
(2) It is therefore in the best interest of the United States to facilitate access to financial services and assist the development of microenterprise in developing countries.
(3) Access to financial services and the development of microenterprises can be supported by programs providing credit, savings, training, technical assistance, business development services, and other financial services.
(4) Given the relatively high percentage of populations living in rural areas of developing countries, and the combined high incidence of poverty in rural areas and growing income inequality between rural and urban markets, microenterprise programs should target both rural and urban poor.
(5) Microenterprise programs have been successful and should continue to empower vulnerable women in the developing world. The Agency should work to ensure that recipients of microenterprise and microfinance development assistance under this subpart communicate and work with nongovernmental organizations and government organizations to identify and assist victims of trafficking as provided for in section 7104(a)(1) of this title and women who are victims of or susceptible to other forms of exploitation and violence.
(6) Given that microenterprise programs have been successful in empowering disenfranchised groups such as women, microenterprise programs should also target populations disenfranchised due to race or ethnicity in countries where a strong relationship between poverty and race or ethnicity has been demonstrated, such as countries in Latin America.
(Pub. L. 87–195, pt. I, §251, as added Pub. L. 108–484, §3, Dec. 23, 2004, 118 Stat. 3923.)
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