IDB Group Support to the Microenterprise Sector (2000-2002): Achievements, Lessons, and Challenges

With over 25 years of Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) support, the microenterprise sector in the region has matured and is now positioned at the forefront of a global movement that supports microenterprise. This report presents the progress, achievements, and challenges in microenterprise development and summarizes the IDB Group's experience based on institutional lessons learned. Reviewing past lessons and looking toward the decade ahead, the IDB Group makes use of strategic resources to promote structural reform, adapt to the regulated economy, and improve access to the opportunities that an increasingly global economy offers. These new opportunities and the ability to meet the challenges ahead are essential to ensure that microenterprises mature and become profitable businesses and stable income sources for their owners and workers