H.M. Queen Máxima of the Netherlands will attend the G20 Summit in Rome on 28-31 October 2021 in her capacity as the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA) and as Honorary Patron of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI).
On 30 October, the Special Advocate will co-host a side event with Prime Minister of Italy Mario Draghi that will examine how to best support micro-, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and women-led businesses recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the presence of government leaders, UNSGSA Queen Máxima will give a short speech about what is needed for the recovery and growth of small businesses, including how to make them more financially resilient. She is anticipated to discuss, among other things, the importance of innovative forms of financing for companies that cannot obtain a loan from a bank—something that can hinder growth and development opportunities. She will also draw attention to coaching entrepreneurs to improve business operations and increase productivity. Other points include training employees so that they remain employable, labor market mobility and the importance of digitization.
In addition to the side event, the UNSGSA will have various bilateral consultations with government representatives of countries that are active in financial inclusion, within the margins of the G20 program. She will also attend a number of other meetings.
The Special Advocate previously met with the 2021 Italian G20 Presidency on 30 November 2020. At that time, the UNSGSA held meetings with Governor of Bank of Italy Ignazio Visco and then-Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. She also participated in a roundtable chaired by Governor Visco where she joined, among others: Pietro Benassi, Ambassador and then-G20 Sherpa, and Magda Bianco, Co-Chair of G20 GPFI and Head of Consumer Protection and Financial Education Directorate at the Bank of Italy.
Additionally, on 4 December 2020, Queen Máxima held a virtual meeting with Roberto Gualtieri, then-Minister for Economic Affairs and Finance.
More recently, the UNSGSA provided virtual opening remarks at the G20 GPFI High-Level Symposium on 4 October 2021 alongside Governor Visco.