Globe-trotting Maxima and Willem-Alexander: Queen in Morocco, King in New York.

They are both traveling. But each on his side. Arriving in Morocco on Monday, March 20, 2023, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands began a three-day working visit there as part of her function as Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Inclusive Finance for Development.

The wife of the Dutch sovereign is on the lands of King Mohammed VI to talk about fintech, inclusive green finance and the development of digital payment systems to promote financial inclusion, while the country launched in 2019 a National Strategy for Financial Inclusion (NSFI). She came, wearing her UN hat, to take stock of what has been achieved so far and what can be done to connect even more people to safe and affordable digital financial services.

Maxima met a nurse converted into a pastry chef at home

After starting her program in Casablanca, including field visits and meetings with government officials, international development organizations, financial institutions and non-profit organizations, the mother of Princesses Catharina-Amalia, Alexia and Ariane put the heading for the capital, Rabat. This Tuesday, March 21, Queen Maxima held several meetings there and met with individuals helped by the microfinance institution Arrawaj Foundation (an organization that aims to reach micro-entrepreneurs and financing companies generally excluded from the formal financial system).

Consider a former nurse who launched a home business of traditional Moroccan cookies and pastries five years ago, as well as the owner of a small leather goods shop in the souk of the medina in Rabat to whom she speak French. Language that the Queen of the Netherlands, born in Argentina, masters perfectly as we can hear in the video posted on Instagram.

King Willem-Alexander delivers the inaugural speech of the united nations water conference 2023

That same day, King Willem-Alexander was thousands of miles away from his wife. The monarch had also left the kingdom to go, for his part, to New York. The Netherlands having organised, together with the Republic of Tajikistanthe 2023 United Nations Water Conference which should contribute to the conclusion of international agreements in this field, the monarch delivered the inaugural speech this Wednesday, March 22.

Arrived the day before in the Big Apple, he also held, in the company of the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, a meeting for all the heads of delegation of the countries participating in this water conference, the first of the UN on this subject for almost 50 years.

King Willem-Alexander is also scheduled to participate in several aspects of the New York Water Week program. Organized from March 18 to 24 by this American city and the Netherlands, it aims to raise awareness, highlight best practices and exchange innovative ideas to guarantee clean and safe water in the future, said the Palace. .