Queen Máxima to attend 79th UN General Assembly, marking 15 years as Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development

News item | 19-09-2024 | 19:23

Programme at the 79th UN General Assembly

From Monday 23 September to Wednesday 25 September Queen Máxima will have several bilateral meetings with representatives of governments and development organisations about the progress being made in the field of financial inclusion. On Monday afternoon she will open the event ‘Resilient Futures: Bridging the Protection Gap to Achieve Global Financial Health’, hosted by International Development News (Devex) and the insurance company AXA. She will then speak at ‘50 in 5, Digital Public Infrastructure for People and Planet’, an event hosted by several UN organisations and UN partners. This initiative is helping countries develop safe, reliable digital infrastructure for purposes including financial inclusion.

On Tuesday Queen Máxima will attend the opening of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly. She will also meet with the members of the UNSGSA Reference Group, a focus group of 11 international development organisations with which she has been working since 2009 on issues of financial inclusion.

On Wednesday the Queen will celebrate her 15th anniversary as UNSGSA. The event ‘Inclusive Finance for Development, 15 Years of Impact’ will both reflect on the progress made so far and look ahead to the future. Queen Máxima will give the opening speech, followed by contributions from government representatives and leading figures at development organisations. The session will conclude with a panel discussion about the importance of financial health.

The UNSGSA after 15 years: consolidating development opportunities for the most vulnerable

Over the past 15 years Queen Máxima and her partners have achieved a great deal and laid a solid foundation for financial inclusion. As a result, the percentage of adults with affordable access to bank accounts and other financial services such as savings products, loans and insurance policies increased from 51% in 2011 to 76% in 2021 (Global Findex Database). In 2015 financial inclusion was included in 7 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The disparity between men and women with a bank account has declined from 9% to 6%. Governments, development organisations, central banks and financial institutions have anchored financial inclusion in their policies and developed legislation. Finally, digitalisation has facilitated innovative solutions that allow the most disadvantaged groups, such as people on low incomes, women, and small-scale farmers and entrepreneurs, to benefit from access to formal financial services.

From financial inclusion to financial health

Now that access is well organised, it’s time to further increase its positive impact. Queen Máxima is advocating action both at the UN and in the Netherlands to develop financial services, products and policy with financial health as their chief goal. These services must be tailored to people’s needs, so that they can protect themselves from financial risks and invest in a better future. These needs are detailed in the annual report ‘15 Years of Financial Inclusion, Building a Foundation for Financial Health’ which Queen Máxima is submitting to UN Secretary-General António Guterres. In the Netherlands, Queen Máxima is working for financial health through SchuldenlabNL, the National Coalition for Financial Health, and the Money Wise platform.

To mark Queen Máxima’s 15 years as UNSGSA the article ‘From microcredits to financial health’, looking back at her work in this field for the UN and in the Netherlands, is available on the Royal House website.

Government Information Service, 257

Enlarge image

Enlarge image

Enlarge image

Enlarge image

Enlarge image