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UN Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Financial Health

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UN Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Financial Health

H.M. Financial inclusion seeks to unlock economic opportunity for all, especially the poor, by expanding access to catalytic financial services.

Queen Máxima of the Netherlands was appointed the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Financial Health (UNSGSA) by UN Secretary-General António Guterres during the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in 2024. Forty percent of the world’s adults—2 billion people—struggle to get by without the basic financial services they need to protect themselves against hardship and inves

t in their futures. With access to such tools as savings, insurance, payments, and credit, families can move out of poverty, small businesses can expand into larger ones, and societies and economies can grow stronger and more inclusive. As the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA), Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands is a leading global voice advancing universal access to affordable, effective, and safe financial services. By engaging with national and international leaders and people from all walks of life, she identifies which financial services, policies, and strategies can really make a difference for financial inclusion—including among women and other marginalized groups. She discusses how to carry those forward, country by country, and helps facilitate new collaborations that can further those goals. Since 2011 she has also served as honorary patron of the G20’s Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion, which has allowed her to advocate for financial inclusion within the largest economic bloc in the world.

09/25/2025

Day 2 in New York was a busy day for UNSGSA Queen Máxima, with many key engagements on .

Particularly noteworthy was a roundtable discussion on technology and , co-hosted by the UNSGSA and information technology company Globant. Tech and banking sector leaders shared how technology can drive financial health efforts, including using AI, behavioral science, and alternative data to develop practical savings, credit, insurance, and budgeting tools that help consumers thrive.

Queen Máxima also had a number of meaningful exchanges at Bloomberg Philanthropies' Global Forum. She met with Michael Bloomberg, as well as partners working on financial health issues across the world, including Bill Gates, World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, President of the African Development Bank Group Sidi Ould Tah, and many others.

She also discussed financial health progress over the last year with
Bloomberg TV'S Francine Lacqua. Stay tuned for the interview!

09/24/2025

Yesterday Queen Máxima began her engagements at the UN General Assembly in her capacity as the UN Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Financial Health.

We are in a critical moment to prioritize , where people are impacted by rising living costs, economic shocks, and financial systems that do not put individual and household financial well-being first.

Addressing financial health requires collaboration and partnerships between world leaders, financial organizations and employers. The UNSGSA’s meetings yesterday reflected this – she held bilateral engagements with partners from many different sectors to discuss how we can support households to manage their daily finances, be resilient against shocks, save for and invest in short- and long-term goals, and feel confident in their financial futures.

09/23/2025

UNSGSA Queen Máxima held meetings in Washington, D.C. yesterday before heading to New York for the opening of UNGA 80. Her Royal Highness the Princess of Orange will accompany the Queen throughout her visit in the United States to observe her work for the UN.

In D.C., the UNSGSA met with the Board of Executive Directors of the Inter-American Development Bank Group to discuss financial health in Latin America and the Caribbean, and opportunities to integrate financial health into IDB activities, including to drive savings and responsible credit. She met with her Reference Group of key partners to share updates and identify areas for progress on international financial health - namely around measurement, research, and product innovation.

The UNSGSA and IFC - International Finance Corporation Managing Director Makhtar Diop had a productive bilateral discussion on the role of private sector innovation in driving financial health, and how international financial institutions can catalyze investment in the space. Queen Máxima also met with the United States’ G20 team to discuss financial health issues.

These meetings are important to deepen engagement with partners and strategize about new avenues for progress.

Photos: Patrick van Katwijk

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