LAHORE - The Global Islamic Microfinance Forum on Islamic Microfinance will be held in the UAE on 8th December, 2012. Delegates of more than 30 countries will attend this forum and share their expertise. The purpose of the Forum is to introduce Islamic Microfinance on the global canvas as an effective tool for poverty alleviation and social development, to develop Islamic Microfinance internationally and to have a dialogue with International Donor/Development agencies and corporate entities for sustainable development. A two-day specialised workshop will be held after the forum to discuss Shari’ah standards and marketing strategies of Islamic Microfinance. AlHuda Centre of Islamic Banking and Economics (CIBE) and Akhuwat are jointly arranging this forum. Akhuwat is a Pakistan based Interest Free Microfinance Institution with an exceptional record, having disbursed more than Rs 2.5 billion amongst 177,000 families in the last 12 years, with a recovery ratio of 99.85pc. Since the first loan of Rs 10,000, Akhuwat’s operations have expanded to 30 districts of Punjab as well as other provinces, with 162 branches all across Pakistan.