H.M. Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA), concluded a two-day visit to the United States on Thursday at UN Headquarters in New York.
The final day of the trip was headlined by a bilateral meeting between UNSGSA Queen Máxima and UN Secretary-General António Guterres, where the pair discussed their ongoing collaboration to help advance UN priorities and generate positive development outcomes—notably in the face of ongoing impacts from COVID-19.
This included underserved segments crucial for growth, such as small businesses, smallholder farmers, and women. Themes around financial health, promoting critical digital public goods, and inclusive green finance were also highlighted.
UNSGSA Queen Máxima also participated in a private sector roundtable hosted by the Financial Health Network (FHN), a member of the UNSGSA’s Financial Health Working Group.
The roundtable served as an opportunity for the Special Advocate to hear insights on how U.S. financial services providers are embedding financial health in their business strategies, not only domestically but also to scale throughout their businesses on a global level. The roundtable was moderated by FHN President and CEO Jennifer Tescher. (Related: Click here to listen to a recent interview with the UNSGSA on FHN’s “EMERGE Everywhere” podcast on iTunes or Spotify).
Additionally, the Special Advocate met with UNDP Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy Ulrika Modeer, as well as other UN officials and the co-chairs of the UN Group of Friends on Financial Inclusion (Indonesia, Peru, and Tanzania).