01 October 2014 – President Benigno S. Aquino III met with Her Majesty Queen Maxima of The Netherlands on September 23 on the sidelines of the UN Climate Summit in New York.

In her capacity as the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA), Queen Maxima told President Aquino that the Philippines “has done extremely well as a leader in financial inclusion.”

As UNSGSA, Queen Maxima is tasked to champion the essential role of financial services in alleviating poverty, fostering equitable economic growth, and furthering diverse development goals including environmental sustainability, food security, clean water, good health and universal education.

The Queen further expressed her interest in visiting the Philippines to study financial inclusion in the country and take the partnership to a higher level through assistance and exchange of best practices in climate insurance market and related fields.

President Aquino extended his invitation for the Queen or a high-level delegation to visit the Philippines. He cited the Philippines’ Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program as an effective program to unlock the potential of financial inclusion.

He also disclosed that insurance for calamities is now growing in the country for those impoverished by disasters.

Queen Maxima highlighted the need for close partnerships, especially in the post 2015 period, for the Group of Friends of Financial Inclusion to which the Philippines is a member, and sought the country’s continued active support.

President Aquino also reiterated to the Queen the Philippines’ and the Filipino people’s condolences to The Netherlands over the MH17 tragedy that also claimed the lives of three Filipinos in July. END