In celebrating the XI edition of the Inter-American Forum on Microenterprise, generally known in the industry as Foromic, a central theme is the importance of including microentrepreneurs and others at the base of the economic pyramid into the economic mainstream in terms of access to finance and services. Panels will discuss topics such as technology, rural finance, housing, microinsurance, and will explore how to effectively reach more people with better, faster, and more affordable services to improve their businesses and their livelihoods.

The Inter-American Development Bank is celebrated 10 th anniversary of the Microenterprise Forum. Over the last 10 years, the microenterprise development sector has changed as has the methodologies of institutions and agencies dedicated to working with this important segment of the labor force in the region. The key commitment and objective of the Inter-American Forum on Microenterprise have always been to facilitate the exchange of experiences and good practices for providing development services to microenterprises. This year will be no different, but in addition it is appropriate that the 10 th Forum should also take time to reflect on what the 10 years have meant to the sector as a whole, and to engage in discussions of where the microenterprise sector is headed, and bring ideas and visions for the Road Ahead.

Discussions on how to ensure an appropriate provision of markets and services to the majority provided the backdrop for the IX Inter-American Forum on Microenterprise, which was held in Quito, Ecuador, during the period 13-15 September, 2006. The event, which was organized by the Inter-American Development Bank in partnership with the local counterpart, Ministry of Economy and Finance, gathered approximately 1,200 participants from almost 40 countries, firmly establishing this annual forum as an international event. A technical plenary session on “Opportunities for the Majority” set the stage for the Forum, followed by two days of 20 technical roundtables that offered presentations and debate on numerous topics related to microenterprise development. As always, the Forum offered the perfect conditions for networking, for making new contacts, and for sharing experiences and knowledge to the benefit of micro and small enterprises in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The VIII Inter-American Forum on Microenterprise held in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, during the period 5-7 October, 2005, gathered close to 1,300 participants from the microenterprise development sector, including investors, donor institutions, and microenterprise service providers, such as NGOs, commercial banks, cooperatives and community organizations. The event, which was organized by the Inter-American Development Bank together with the local counterpart, FONDESIF, and other local and international partners, highlighted the necessity and the challenges of expanding microenterprise services to cover otherwise excluded or underserved groups, i.e. microentrepreneurs that are poor, rural, or live in geographically remote areas. Apart from the technical content in 20 roundtable sessions and 2 in-depth workshops, participants were offered the opportunity to network with their peers, and to share knowledge, experience, and implementation strategies related to the development of micro and small enterprises in the Latin American and Caribbean region.

The VII Inter-American Forum on Microenterprise took place on September 8-10, 2004 in the Convention Center of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. The event was organized together with the local counterpart, Banco de Comercio Exterior de Colombia, S.A. (Bancoldex), and further received financial and logistics support from a number of co-sponsors. The event was very successful in terms of the panel topics and quality of the presentations, the execution of social events and logistics, as well as in terms of overall satisfaction of the 1200 participants. A total of 72 presentations were made in 24 panels in the technical roundtable meetings within the areas of microfinance, enterprise development, business environment, and social entrepreneurship.

The VI Forum, took place in Guatemala City, Guatemala, Sept. 3, 4, and 5th, brought together more than 1000 participants, which included: investors, donor agencies, and service providers such as NGOs, commercial banks, cooperatives and community organizations. Through its 2 plenary sessions and more than 24 roundtable discussions, the event provided participants from more than 35 countries with an excellent opportunity to share their knowledge and experiences with the strategies and practices that have been implemented to confront the economic crisis that the region faces. The topics discussed at the VI Forum intended to disseminate the most successful experiences towards the development and strengthening of the microenterprise sector in the region, providing participants with the technical and conceptual tools to continue improvements to this important productive segment of the economy.

The need to promote an effective and efficient legal and regulatory operating environment for micro and small enterprises in the Latin American region was the message that echoed among the participants of the V Inter-American Forum on Microenterprise. The fifth forum held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on September 9-11, 2002 gathered an impressive array of more than 1,000 participants in the microenterprise development arena. Among them: investors, donor organizations, and microenterprise service providers, including NGOs, commercial banks, credit unions, and community organizations. Through its 3 plenary sessions and more than 30 workshops, the event provided a unique opportunity for participants from more than 25 countries around the world to share knowledge, skills, research, and implementation strategies to improve the environment for micro and small enterprises in the Latin American and Caribbean region.

The IV Inter-American Forum was a three-day event held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on November 14-16, 2001. About 800 hundred microenterprise service providers, NGOs and government representatives from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe gathered to discuss the latest innovations in Microenterprise Development. The IV Forum achieved its objective of disseminating information on the latest advances in microfinance and business development services. The Inter-American Forum on Microenterprise has become the main venue in Latin America and the Caribbean for the presentation, discussion and evaluation of policies, programs and activities in the public and private sectors related to microenterprise.

The III Inter-American Forum was a four-day meeting celebrated on October 17-20, 2000, in which microenterprise service providers from Latin America and the Caribbean and Europe, NGOs and government representatives participated. The Forum organized by the IDB's Microenterprise Unit, highlighted the value of cooperation among organizations, not only through donations but also through the transfer of knowledge and technology among countries of similar levels of development. More than 600 delegates from governments, donor agencies, businesses, and civil society organizations participated in the Forum's sessions and workshops. Specialists discussed the most successful methods for promoting the development of microenterprise, a fundamental tool in the fight against poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The II Inter-American Forum on Microenterprise was a two-day gathering of microenterprise service providers from the Latin American and the Caribbean region and other parts of the world. The Forum provided unique opportunities for practitioner institutions to learn about new approaches in the delivery of services to the sector, share experiences and gather information on new institutional development tools, and expand their contacts with other practitioners, donors, and private sector entities.

The first microenterprise forum had as its main objective to promote the exchange, debate, and dissemination of best practices in microenterprises for profit and non-profit institutions involved in the provision of services to the microenterprise sector. Another important goal of this event was to forge new alliances among institutions offering financial and non-financial services to strengthen their operations. Additional goals included the orientation of public opinion to support microenterprise participants, recognition of the needs of the microenterprise sector and the promotion of access of microenterprises to financial services. In summary, the forum promoted the participation of the institutions that serve the microenterprise sector distilling important lessons learned on their experience in their provision and management of services.