UNSGSA Queen Máxima, World Leaders to Participate in UN General Assembly Event on Financial Inclusion

Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA), will participate and speak at a special side event “Financial Inclusion for Development: Building on 10 Years of Progress” during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at 4:30-5:30pm on 25 September 2019 in New York. It will be available to watch at UN Web TV on live stream by clicking here.

It will also include remarks by:

  • UN Secretary-General Mr. António Guterres;
  • President of the World Bank Group Mr. David Malpass;
  • Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Ms. Melinda Gates;
  • President and CEO of PayPal Mr. Dan Schulman;
  • President and CEO of Mastercard Mr. Ajay Banga.

Additionally, it will be moderated by Mr. Tilman Ehrbeck, who is Managing Partner at Flourish Ventures and Chair of the Reference Group of the UNSGSA.

The side event coincides with the 10th anniversary since Queen Máxima accepted the designation of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate.

It will be a special celebration of the progress made in financial inclusion over the last decade, and a recognition of financial inclusion’s importance to achieve the 2030 Agenda. This includes how financial inclusion—particularly digital finance—helps achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how to best overcome remaining challenges to achieve full financial inclusion.

For example, globally, 1.2 billion adults have gained access to the formal financial system since 2011, but 1.7 billion remain excluded. As the world moves toward the 2030 Agenda, digital innovation can contribute to progress.

Further, how to serve hard-to-reach segments—such as women, farmers and SMEs—to provide them with financial services that build resilience and ensure economic opportunities will also be addressed.

The side event will take place in Conference Room 1 in the United Nations Conference Building.

Follow along on social media with the hashtag #UNSGSA10.