Queen Maxima in Myanmar: March 30-April 1

As Special Advocate of the Secretary-General of the UN for Inclusive Finance for Development and at the invitation of the Government of Myanmar, Queen Maxima made a three-day visit to Myanmar from Monday March 30 to Wednesday April 1.

Queen Maxima started the visit on Monday in Yangon where she had various meetings with telecom providers, representatives of banks, microfinance institutions and providers of microcredit. At the meetings were also present members of government and parliament, UN representatives and the Dutch Ambassador.

On Tuesday, Queen Maxima delivered a speech at the University of Yangon. In her speech the Queen stressed the importance of good access to financial services. She said that “The goal of financial inclusion is to provide access to safe and affordable financial services for everyone, regardless of income level. That goal is important because financial inclusion has been shown to reduce poverty, improve lives, unlock opportunities for men and women and foster economic growth that benefits everyone” and she added that financial services in Asia and around the world “help people provide better lives for their families and for themselves.”

Queen Maxima praised Myanmar for “developing a detailed road map to expand financial inclusion responsibly” and she also added that the financial inclusion happens when there is leadership, cooperation and planning. The Queen, at the end of her speech, stressed that “financial inclusion is vital for economic growth, job creation and social development in any country.”

After the visit at the University, Queen Maxima attended a roundtable meeting with representatives of development and finance organisations. Later in the day, the Queen went in a small village near Yangon where she visited markets and local entrepreneurs that, thank to the help of small loans, expanded their businesses.

On her final day, Queen Maxima moved to Myanmar’s capital city, Nay Pyi Taw. At her arrival in the capital, the Queen was received at the Presidential Palace by President of Myanmar Thein Sein and his wife Daw Khin Khin Win.

Then, at the Myanmar International Convention Centre, took place the launch of the “Myanmar Financial Inclusion Roadmap”. The Financial Inclusion Roadmap is a new strategy that aims to improve access to financial services like insurance and loans to help low-income families and small to medium enterprises. The Queen also attended a meeting with representatives of the Government, the Central Bank and the Parliament at the Central bank of Myanmar to discuss about the importance of financial inclusion for the development of the country’s people, especially the poor.

The last event of the visit was a meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese opposition politician and Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Filed under The Netherlands
Tagged Aung San Suu Kyi, Inclusive Finance, Microcredit, Myanmar, President Sein of Myanmar, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, United Nations, Working Visit.

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