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UNSGSA Finds Strong Support for Inclusive Finance as Part of the UN’s Future Development Agenda
  • September 27, 2013

The United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA), Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, today presented her fourth annual report to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

In her report, the UNSGSA calls attention to the expanding leadership and commitment to financial inclusion, and exciting breakthroughs in products that are starting to reach the poor. During the past year the UNSGSA was an early and active voice in the UN-led dialogue to define the development agenda beyond 2015 [1] urging UN leaders, policy and political leaders, private sector chief executives, and many others to recognize the power of universal access to diverse financial services in advancing development goals such as equitable economic growth, job creation, women’s empowerment, and more. She welcomes the UN Secretary-General’s recent report “A Life of Dignity for All” and the report of his High Level Panel [2], which recognize the cross-cutting role inclusive financial services should play in the post-2015 development agenda.

Queen Máxima advocated on the role of financial inclusion and food security. This could have big impact on the world’s poorest and most vulnerable – 70 percent of whom live in rural areas and depend on subsistence agriculture. The UNSGSA forged a partnership with the UN Rome Based Agencies on Food and Agriculture to accelerate access to financial services as a means to bolster the ability of rural farmers to gain entry to formal markets, invest in their farms, and protect themselves against shocks.

Through country visits the UNSGSA connects with clients, service providers, policymakers and political leaders to get a full picture of the challenges and opportunities of financial inclusion. She visited Nigeria for the launch of its first National Financial Inclusion Strategy – a pledge the country originally made at the 2012 G20 Leaders Summit. She encourages country leaders to create cross-sector coordination platforms, develop national financial inclusion strategies, and set ambitious targets in-line with the country’s overall economic and sustainable development goals.

The UNSGSA states that these country targets could in turn inform and inspire a global goal for universal access to financial services as a part of the future development agenda. “I deeply believe that with the knowledge and commitment that we possess today, universal access to financial services is achievable,” She said. “Let us seize the opportunity to make this a reality.”

The report is available at:  www.unsgsa.org 

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[1] The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will reach their target date in 2015.

[2] The High Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda consists of 25 eminent persons selected by the UN Secretary-General to provide recommendations on the future development agenda.

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About the UNSGSA

Queen Máxima is an active global voice on the importance of inclusive finance for achieving development and economic goals. Designated in 2009 by the UN Secretary-General as his Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development, Queen Máxima encourages universal access for individuals and enterprises, at a reasonable cost, to a wide range of financial services, provided by diverse responsible and sustainable institutions. She works in partnership with stakeholders globally to raise awareness, encourage leadership, and foster action toward financial inclusion. She is also Honorary Patron of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion. In her own country, Queen Máxima is a member of the Committee for Entrepreneurship and Finance and Honorary Chair of the Dutch Money Wise Platform.