UNSGSA 2024 Annual Report to the Secretary-General

15 Years of Financial Inclusion: Building a Foundation for Financial Health

This special anniversary edition of the UNSGSA Annual Report marks H.M. Queen Máxima of the Netherlands' fifteenth year as the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA). Centered around the theme, “15 Years of Impact: Building a Foundation for Financial Health,” the report showcases the work of the UNSGSA over the past 12 months and charts the milestones and impact of financial inclusion since 2009.

“I am very proud of what we have accomplished over the last 15 years. It was possible because all the partners, countries, and organizations were working together for the same goal: financial inclusion.” - UNSGSA Queen Máxima

The 2024 Annual Report features the strategic work of the UNSGSA and her partners in three focus areas: financial health, inclusive green finance, and responsible fintech for financial inclusion. The report details her activities and initiatives to champion the financial inclusion agenda at both global and country levels, including through speeches, media engagements, and strategic meetings with world leaders and diverse stakeholders, including government, the private sector, international development agencies, and financial standard-setting bodies (SSBs). Highlights of the report are client stories from the Special Advocate’s country visits to Kenya, Colombia, and the Philippines, which bring the impacts of financial inclusion and financial health to life.

Empowering People, Unlocking Potential

The 2024 Annual Report captures a turning point in Queen Máxima’s role as the UNSGSA, highlighting the progress that has been made and the work still to be done. The stories of impact from the past 15 years reveal the importance of her continuing advocacy to ensure that financial policies, products, and services put people first and strengthen their financial health.

On 25 September 2024, Queen Máxima was appointed by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres as the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Financial Health (UNSGSA). This marks the end of her role as the Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development after 15 years. In her new UN role as the Special Advocate for Financial Health, Queen Máxima will work to empower people with suitable financial products and tools that help to enhance their financial health, protect against hardships, and promote a better future, all within a safe, inclusive, and sustainable financial system.

Learn more about the new financial health mandate of the UNSGSA here.