I welcome to ourselves to our 30th anniversary in WWB's meeting.  A one generation has passed.  I have been fortunate to witness the significant role of leadership played by WWB over the years. I particularly see the changing profile of WWB's global conferences through our Affiliates.  I also see more sophistication, more men, and the younger lot of bankers.  I do feel happy for the continued relationship of trust which has been the slogan of WWB for good banking.  I mean relationship between the Affiliates and WWB.

The Theme of this Conference is Focusing on Women - A Winning Strategy in Bad Times and Good.  Once again WWB has taken up a complex issue, once more very timely, indeed.

We have to reiterate and make sure with our self, within our Network and to the outside world that for us, the importance of microfinance is what it does for the poor and vulnerable in our countries, in a sustainable way.

There always have been good times and bad times because the times are always moving.  What matters is that how the Change relates to us as individual, as society and the Universe.

The world of finance has changed which is changing the economy and hence the world of WORK i.e. employment.  And now, we are heading towards bad times, as reported, we are in crisis.

First of all, the poor did not contribute to the crisis through their lives or livelihoods.  Rather, their work contributes to mitigating disasters which is often not recognised or realised by many.

The fact is that the formal economy still confronts the informal economy.  It is understood that the 'formal' is a problem solver, and a solution also comes from them.  No.  The solution will come from us, from our clients, our women who are the working poor of the world whom we serve to day.

To morrow we are going to deliberate on Capital Markets.  I do believe that private investment is necessary, however, I would like to remind you that what is equally necessary is a framework of a new vision of relationships.  But to day we are facing a clash between community as an economy, and, the Corporation as an economy which is actually the conflicts between livelihoods and capital market.

I believe, our, I mean women's search is for the way our community invents and recreates itself.  My ideas come from the traditions of the Gandhian thought, and gender as a worldview combined with day to day grassroots constructive work...So pl bear with me for what I say next !

So, my first point is that private sector is invited not as an overwhelming force but as part of our vision where livelihood meets capital markets, as equals.  Secondly, the language of stockholders must meet the ideas of stakeholders in the widest sense with Nature invariably as stakeholder which is my third point.

As you know, every community has been a form of economics of survival and livelihood, long before private business came in.  The community economics combined ideas of the informal economy and the biomass society.  The community is the civil society.  They believe that one, Nature is an economy and it works.  Two that gender is crucial in the form of women's work and that any idea of sustainability depends on Nature, gender and women's work.  Unless the present Growth economy and private sector recognise this framework, little will be possible in a creative long term sense, in my humble opinion.

Regarding business.  Business as economics cannot be disconnected from life - lifeworld - livelihood, life style, life cycle, life chances.  Unless work is woven in Nature, solutions become only a temporary rehabilitation.  Local communities survive through direct links between biomass and informal economy.  They are forms of life, sources of livelihood.  But modern economics has little priority for them.  But we need to create this as an economy of the margins rather than marginal economics.  Marginality, vulnerability, subsistence should be seen as different from the poverty alleviation.

Then about waste.  Waste is the only resource of the wasted people.  One has to recover the wasted economy of our people because vulnerability has to battle obsolescence.  We have to recover it to new gains. Obsolete community (tribals), informal economics, dying crafts and skills, marginalised economies may not be good for private businesses but they are forms of livelihoods to the poor.  We need to sustain these economies and integrate them with the mainstream markets: finance market, labour market and commodity market.  That is the challenge before us as women bankers in bringing women and poor from bad to better times.

In sum, I mean, the microfinance sector itself becomes a growth economy.  Making small size farm holdings whom we finance from our Institutions, more profitable to the actual producers.  In manufacturing sector, generating higher economic growth through million more small and medium 'green and clean' production units, is growth.  This will decide what technology we use, what supportive policy environment we ask our governments to build.  I would like to view, higher rate of growth must not lead to, but in fact, itself be due to wide spread employment generation that replenish our lost future.

So the, where will our women's finance will go - to whom for what?  Our finance will go to build sustainable energy systems, clean water systems, food security, green cities, green markets, build local capacities.  Titles of land will be recorded in women's name as first holders.  Because, assets and even cash are safer in the hands of women than their men, as my own experience in SEWA Bank which is solid evidence.  WWB will do it because WWB represents the feminine.  This will happen only when women are not mere beneficiaries of microfinance.  As leaders, the women in finance will need to develop capacity - collectively, organisationally - to shape the direction of how finance can be used, owned and managed, and thus show the way of women's banking.

My plea to all those in microfinance sector is for a gentler economy.  I hope you agree with me.  To repeat, we build economies that encourage self-reliance and self development of communities.  We help conserve, preserve, restore balance of formal and informal systems.  We create power and resources that are decentralised and inclusive.  We recycle our flow of food, water, energy, naturals, wastes.  We maintain our structures and systems autonomous, interdependent that enrich each other and everybody.  Most importantly, we create and recreate productive work that enhances human dignity. 

That is where the women's global leadership lies.  Such leadership in WWB emerges from our country Affiliates and Associates, worldwide.  We will find many new allies and networks to go with us on our path.

Thank you for being patient with me.  For a long tome I wanted to say my ideas in these words.

I look forward to our conferences igniting our minds.  This conference, much awaited, is a splendid opportunity to meet and think and plan our future together.

Thank you.