This post originally appeared on UNSGSA.

In late 2015 the global development community set out on a new path-one it has committed itself to following for the next 15 years.

The ambitious Sustainable Development Agenda, adopted by 193 countries at teh UN, will guide priorities, policies, funding, and action until 2030. At the agendas heart, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) address far-reaching global concerns, including poverty, hunger, climate change, gender equality, and economic growth.

The new agenda is strongly marked by a broad recognition of the importance of financial inclusion, starting with the agreement’s preamble. The acknowledgment of financial inclusion-not as a goal but as a powerful engine of progress-cements it within national and international mandates for action.

Throughout discussions leading up to the adoption of the SDGs, H.M. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development, worked to ensure that financial inclusion was recognized and embedded in the agreement. She collaborated closely with UN member states in the Group of Friends of Financial Inclusion, led by Peru, Tanzania, and Indonesia, as well as with UNCDF, UNDESA, the World Bank Group, and other partners in her Reference Group.

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