Country Visits

From 25-28 February 2024, the Special Advocate's mission underlined a commitment to expand diverse financial services available to all Colombians. Despite a notable increase in bank account ownership among adults from 39% in 2011 to 60% in 2021, gender disparity remains a stark challenge—with a 64% account ownership rate for men contrasted by 56% for women.

In India, Building on Progress and Providing a Model for Inclusion

India has made tremendous strides in expanding access to financial services, thanks in large part to its robust digital infrastructure. The proportion of adults with a formal account more than doubled between 2011 and 2017, from 35 to 80 percent. Read more

Next Steps for Indonesia on Financial Inclusion

Indonesia has reached a critical junction in its efforts to advance financial inclusion. Since the launch of its national financial inclusion strategy in 2016, the network of agents has expanded rapidly and the government has made significant progress in implementing digital government-to-person… Read more

Queen Máxima Returns to Indonesia to Support Further Advances on Financial Inclusion

Queen Máxima speaking at the UN during her previous visit to Indonesia in 2016. Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA), will visit Indonesia to explore progress and… Read more

Accelerating Progress toward Financial Inclusion in Nigeria

The last time the Special Advocate visited Nigeria, in 2012, the country had just launched its national financial inclusion strategy, which laid out a goal of achieving 80 percent financial inclusion by 2020. Since then, Nigeria has made significant progress in a number of areas. Nearly half the… Read more

In Mexico, Eliminating Obstacles to Full Financial Inclusion

Maria Teresa Gaytan Lopez, who met the Special Advocate while opening her first bank account at an OXXO convenience store in Mexico City, with Oscar Osorio Martinez, a regular customer. Over the past several years, Mexico has taken steps to modernize its… Read more

Building on Progress in Viet Nam

Within just one generation, Viet Nam has undergone an extraordinary transformation from being one of the world’s poorest nations to achieving lower-middle-income status. While financial inclusion has also increased sharply, the majority of Vietnamese still do… Read more

Special Advocate Visiting Viet Nam to Discuss Financial Inclusion

Flag of Viet Nam. The UN Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development, H.M. Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, will visit Viet Nam from 30 May through 1 June 2017 to explore paths to progress on financial inclusion. Viet… Read more

Argentina Illustrates Need for Access to Finance

The Special Advocate often observes that financial inclusion is a universal issue, one that needs to be addressed in every country. The situation in Argentina illustrates her point with great clarity. Although Argentina is a middle-income country with the third-largest economy in Latin America,… Read more

Queen Máxima to visit Argentina to promote access to financial services

Flag of Argentina. From Tuesday 11 to Wednesday 12 October Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands will visit Argentina in her role as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA). In the capital Buenos… Read more

Technology Helps Accelerate Financial Inclusion in Indonesia

Indonesia’s dynamic growth over the last 15 years has helped cut poverty in more than half. Still, 40 percent linger right above the poverty line, their economic prospects in need of further protection. To build further on this progress, the government has made a commitment to extend financial… Read more

Special Advocate Traveling to Indonesia to Discuss Financial Inclusion

Flag of Indonesia. As Indonesia takes increasingly strong steps to build financial inclusion, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA)—H.M. Queen Máxima of the Netherlands—will visit to the country from… Read more

UN Special Advocate Queen Máxima to Visit Pakistan to Discuss Financial Inclusion

H.M. Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA), will visit Pakistan 9–11 February 2016 to promote financial inclusion and support the implementation of the country’s National Financial Inclusion Strategy.… Read more