Queen Máxima to visit United Nations in New York

On Tuesday evening 20 September and Wednesday 21 September Her Majesty Queen Máxima will be in New York for the 77th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Queen Máxima is the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA).

On Wednesday 21 September Queen Máxima will present the UNSGSA 2022 Annual Report to Secretary-General António Guterres. The theme of the report is ‘Equitable, Inclusive and Sustainable Growth’.

Access to and the secure and affordable use of digital financial services form an important basis for economic development. According to the World Bank Group’s most recent data 76% of adults worldwide now have a bank account. In 2011 that figure was 51% (Global Findex 2021). Savings accounts, insurance and affordable credit are the next step. Extra attention is being given to marginalised groups, such as women, smallholders and small businesses. The annual report addresses the importance of an inclusive digital economy, financial health, consumer protection, uniform data collection and the role of financial inclusion in economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Queen Máxima will also meet with representatives of governments actively working on financial inclusion. She will be one of the keynote speakers at the opening of the UN event ‘The Future of Digital Cooperation: Building resilience through safe, trusted, and inclusive digital public infrastructure’. At the ‘5th Annual Leaders on Purpose CEO Summit’ Queen Máxima will speak with PayPal CEO Dan Schulman. The focus of their discussion will be on how financial inclusion can contribute to economic growth and the Sustainable Development Goals. Finally, Queen Máxima will meet with the members of the Reference Group, an advisory focus group she has been working with since 2009. The group is made up of representatives of 11 international organisations with specific knowledge of financial inclusion, such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WB). 

Since 2009, Queen Máxima has been working worldwide in her capacity as the UNSGSA to make financial services available to all, including low-income groups and small and medium-sized enterprises, thus enhancing their opportunities for economic and social development. She has been honorary patron of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) since 2011. 

Government Information Service, no. 248