MICROFINANCE AND MICROENTERPRISE DEPARTMENT

UNRWA’s Microfinance and Microenterprise Department aims to:

1. Alleviate poverty, create employment, support economic development, and income generating opportunities by providing working capital and investment financing to Palestinian microentrepreneurs and small businesses.

2. Make credit available to enterprises in both the formal and informal sectors of the economy through five lending products in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan, and Syria:
   • The micro enterprise credit product (MEC).
   • The solidarity group lending Product (SGL).
   • The small scale enterprise product (SSE).
   • The consumer lending product (CLP).
   • The housing loan product (HLP).

3. Move beyond the provision of just micro credit to the provision of inclusive financial services to the poor.

4. Increase the volume of lending and extend the department’s outreach to those who do not have access to credit because of a lack of collateral.

5. Encourage the participation of women in the economy.

6. Encourage the participation of youth entrepreneurship.

7. Be self-sustaining with funds from it s credit operations.

8. Be operationally and financially self-sufficient.