Dutch queen arrives in Pakistan on three-day visit

ISLAMABAD: Queen Maxima of the Netherlands arrived in Islamabad on a three-day visit to oversee a financial inclusion initiative by Pakistan’s central bank, and met with the foreign minister on Monday.
Queen Máxima has been serving as the UN Secretary General’s Special Advocate (UNSGSA) for Inclusive Finance for Development since 2009. This is her second visit to Pakistan after an earlier visit in February 2016. 
While appreciating the UNSGA’s dedication to promote financial inclusion, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said during a meeting at the foreign office, that the royal visit would provide greater impetus to ongoing initiatives in the country. In addition, a select group of civil society members working on the financial inclusion and development of women in Pakistan were present at the meeting.
Earlier, the visiting royal chaired a meeting on financial inclusion in Islamabad during which she noted Pakistan’s advancement in the field, but said “more needs to be done,” according to state-run Radio Pakistan reported. 
Addressing the gathering with representatives of UN agencies, World Bank and the Asian Development Bank in the audience, the queen stressed the need for use of technology to bring improvement in the financial inclusion.
During her visit, the queen will attend the launch of Micro Payment Gateway, an initiative by the State Bank of Pakistan aimed at reducing the costs of small payments and promoting financial inclusion.
Inclusive finance for development is one of the government’s key priorities.
Queen Máxima is also expected to meet with President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan, as well as a range of stakeholders from the public and private sectors.
She is actively engaged in promoting access to financial services at a reasonable cost, with the aim of improving economic and social development opportunities in countries across the world.