Queen Máxima delivers online opening speech at G20 symposium
Today, Monday 4 October, Queen Máxima is delivering an online speech at the opening of the symposium on ‘Coping with new (and old) vulnerabilities in a post-pandemic world’, organised by the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI). The Queen will be speaking in her capacity as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA) and as honorary chair of the GPFI. The event is being hosted by Italy, which holds the Presidency of the G20 from 1 December 2020 to 30 November 2021 and is pursuing an agenda focusing on People, Planet and Prosperity.
The symposium will examine the old and new economic vulnerabilities facing countries worldwide in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. As UNSGSA, Queen Máxima will speak about the importance of establishing a more inclusive and sustainable digital economy, allowing currently disadvantaged groups such as women, small-scale farmers and SMEs to participate in the interests of their social and economic development. Proper access to, and secure use of, digital financial services such as insurance, a business loan or saving to create a financial buffer are ways of achieving this. As well as Queen Máxima, the Governor of the Bank of Italy, Ignazio Visco, will also be speaking.
On 30 November 2020, just before Italy’s G20 Presidency began, Queen Máxima discussed inclusive finance online with Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Governor Visco. She also participated in an online roundtable discussion with specialists in this area, chaired by Governor Visco (Government Information Service news item 239, 2020). On 4 December 2020 Queen Máxima had a follow-up meeting online with Roberto Gualtieri, the Italian Minister of Economy and Finance.
The G20 is an international forum consisting of the 19 largest national economies and the European Union. Its objective is to contribute to global economic growth and development. As honorary chair of the GPFI, Queen Máxima strives to advance the G20’s work on inclusive finance.