H.M. Queen Máxima of the Netherlands wrapped up the first day of a two-day visit to the United States where she is holding a series of bilateral meetings with an array of high-level United States and United Nations officials, along with various international development partners, in her capacity as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA).
Day one of the trip took place on Wednesday in Washington D.C., where UNSGSA Queen Máxima reinforced to key decisionmakers the importance of inclusive finance, particularly during COVID-19 recovery efforts, as well as in building resilience to future shocks from economic and climate events. The Special Advocate also focused on themes such as financial health, inclusive fintech, and inclusive green finance throughout the series of meetings.
Early Wednesday, UNSGSA Queen Máxima held a pair of bilateral meetings with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and U.S. Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael J. Hsu, respectively. Dialogue focused heavily on financial health and resilience.
Also, while in Washington D.C., UNSGSA Queen Máxima met with partners and stakeholders in the international development community. This included discussions with International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, World Bank Managing Director for Development Policy and Partnerships Mari Pangestu, Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) CEO Sophie Sirtaine, and Center for Financial Inclusion Managing Director Mayada El-Zoghbi.
These talks centered around continued collaboration with the Special Advocate to ensure that inclusive finance leads to positive development outcomes.
UNSGSA Queen Máxima’s next stop will be to New York on Thursday, where she will meet with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, as well as other UN officials and stakeholders.