Queen Máxima visits Philippines to promote access to financial services
Her Majesty Queen Máxima will visit the Republic of the Philippines from Monday 29 June to Wednesday 1 July in her capacity as the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development.
The Queen is visiting the country at the invitation of the Philippine government and Central Bank. On the morning of Tuesday 30 June, she will be in Manila to discuss inclusive finance with representatives of international organisations and the private sector. In the afternoon she will visit the province of Cavite, a farming region popular among tourists. There she will speak with local businesses about how financial services, like a bank or savings account, loan or insurance, could improve their economic development.
On Wednesday 1 July Queen Máxima will give a speech in Manila at the launch of the National Strategy for Financial Inclusion. This government action plan coordinated by the Central Bank aims to enhance cooperation between ministries, government agencies and the private sector to improve the population's access to financial services. Prior to the launch, the Queen will meet with the governor of the Central Bank.
In the afternoon Queen Máxima will take part in a round table discussion with parties involved in the national strategy. These include the Central Bank, the Departments of Finance, Social Welfare & Development, Education, and Trade & Industry, and government agencies like the National Economic and Development Authority, the Insurance Commission and the Philippine Statistics Authority. There will also be a meeting with the Secretary of Finance, as well as with the speaker of the House of Representatives and the senate president.
Queen Máxima was designated as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development in September 2009. In this capacity, she advises the Secretary-General, and works worldwide to make financial services accessible to all, including low-income groups and the SME sector. In June 2011 Queen Máxima became honorary patron of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion.