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Financial Inclusion for Sustainable Development

A/RES/80/125View PDF

Who created this mandate?

A document of the General Assembly, under agenda item 16eFinancial inclusion for sustainable development, published in 2025.

What other versions does this mandate have?

6 versions · 2016–2025
  • 2025A/RES/80/125Financial inclusion for sustainable developmentLatestCompare with previous version
  • 2023A/RES/78/139Financial inclusion for sustainable developmentCompare with previous version
  • 2022A/RES/76/195Financial inclusion for sustainable developmentCompare with previous version
  • 2020A/RES/74/205Financial inclusion for sustainable developmentCompare with previous version
  • 2018A/RES/72/206Financial inclusion for sustainable developmentCompare with previous version

iVersions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

4 entities

iExtracted automatically from each entity’s budget submission.

What subjects does this mandate have?

5 topics
Development FinanceDigital TechnologyFinancial InclusionFinancial ServicesSustainable Development

What does this mandate say?

24 operative paragraphs
1
Recalls the inclusion in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of, inter alia, several targets related to the promotion of financial inclusion, also recalls that the Sustainable Development Goals and associated targets are integrated and indivisible and balance the three dimensions of sustainable development, and in this regard looks forward to their achievement;
2
Welcomes the outcome document of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, the Sevilla Commitment, and calls for its timely and effective implementation;
3
Recalls the inclusion in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development and in the Sevilla Commitment of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development of, inter alia, several policies and actions intended to ensure a policy and regulatory environment for the promotion of financial inclusion, and in this regard looks forward to their implementation;
4
Reaffirms its decision to give consideration, as appropriate, to financial inclusion in the follow-up and review framework of the 2030 Agenda and in the follow-up processes of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the Sevilla Commitment;
5
Takes note of the consideration given to financial inclusion in the Financing for Sustainable Development Report 2024, stresses that, while financial inclusion has improved in recent years, notably owing to the growth in mobile banking, significant gaps remain within and among developed and developing countries, and remains concerned that, globally, 1.3 billion people do not have access to formal financial services and that, despite increased account ownership among women, the financial inclusion gender gap remains;
6
Notes that the provision of universal and meaningful connectivity, including through digital public infrastructure, is key to strengthening financial inclusion, and in this regard underlines the need for the necessary investments, including in infrastructure, such as reliable electricity, as well as affordable mobile phones, broadband and network services, interoperable payment systems and other financial infrastructure and services, and encourages Member States to take policy actions in accordance with national circumstances and priorities;
7
Acknowledges the important role that national financial inclusion strategies can play in identifying and overcoming financing gaps and binding constraints and in advancing financial health, including the lack of access to finance for micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises, notes that at least 85 countries have adopted or are in the process of developing financial inclusion strategies, and in this regard encourages Member States to consider the convenience of adopting and pursuing national financial inclusion strategies and gender-responsive strategies, to end the structural barriers to women’s and girls’ equal access to economic resources and to expand peer learning, experience-sharing and capacity-building among countries and regions in this respect, through risk-sharing mechanisms and regulatory requirements as well as support from international partners through blended finance;
8
Recognizes that digitally enabled innovation in the financial sector has contributed significantly to the rapid expansion of access to financial services and financial inclusion, enabling progress on the Sustainable Development Goals and showing impacts across the 2030 Agenda, as outlined in the Financing for Sustainable Development Report 2024, and supports concrete actions to advance digital financial inclusion and close digital divides, including the gender digital divide, across and within countries, while improving responsible digital financial practices and regulatory responses that promote positive financial health outcomes, including secure savings, affordable and appropriate credit and insurance, and long-term financial resilience, as appropriate, to protect consumers’ interests, financial integrity and system stability, which are mutually reinforcing and also enablers of greater financial inclusion;
9
Also recognizes the growing importance of financial technology actors and new instruments and platforms, including mobile banking, Internet-based services, and peer-to-peer platforms and open finance schemes, which have enabled access to financial services for millions of people and provided channels for smaller companies to raise risk capital, as well as the potential of big data and artificial intelligence in this respect, encourages, in this context, Governments and regulatory agencies to review and adjust, as appropriate, legal and regulatory frameworks to cope with the risks and maximize the benefits associated with these new instruments, and invites countries and financial technology actors to exchange experiences, promote peer learning and public-private partnerships and further enhance capacity-building in financial services;
10
Encourages the use of digital financial technologies and services which have gained further importance during the pandemic and have allowed many households and micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises to access financial services despite lockdowns and social distancing; considers that digital financial inclusion is associated with higher gross domestic product growth and that the adoption of digital payments is consistent with the notion that financial technologies may contribute to growth and sustainable development and thus play an important role in mitigating the economic impact of the COVID‑19 pandemic and support the recovery; promotes financial innovation and its role in enhancing financial inclusion and fostering more inclusive and equitable access to the benefits of the emerging digital economy; acknowledges the needs of the poorest and of the people in the most vulnerable situations, while acknowledging the importance of more inclusive and equitable access to the benefits of the emerging digital economy in ways that enhance financial health, providing for an open, fair and non‑discriminatory business environment; and encourages multi-stakeholder partnerships, as appropriate, at the local, regional and international levels in order to allow for an exchange of experiences, promote peer learning in this area and further enhance capacity-building, access to finance and support of micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises, including those owned and operated by women;
11
Invites further use of digital financial technologies in the delivery of financial services in an efficient, effective, quick, affordable and secure manner, so that they can benefit micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises and people, including the poorest and most vulnerable, who are affected disproportionately by the pandemic, geopolitical tensions and conflicts and multiple crises, in turn allowing Governments to expand the reach of their emergency responses to those in the informal sector and those who do not have access to bank accounts, while functioning as an enabler of the Sustainable Development Goals, including eradicating poverty, bridging inequality gaps, creating jobs and promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, and in that regard calls for the strengthening of digital skills and digital financial infrastructure to promote a sustainable, inclusive and resilient recovery;
12
Calls for increased international cooperation to enhance access to capacity-building, digital government and business services and the leveraging of digital financial tools to expand inclusion for micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises;
13
Calls upon Member States, in cooperation with regulators, the private sector and international organizations, to promote the use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence in financial services, ensuring that they are based on responsible principles protecting human rights and fostering inclusion in accessing the services;
14
Commits to promoting the use of digital technologies, digital public goods and public infrastructure to deepen financial inclusion and literacy, and supports investment in the development and digitalization of inclusive and accessible financial system infrastructure in developing countries;
15
Acknowledges that, in the absence of strong financial consumer protection, the growth-enhancing benefits of expanded financial inclusion may be lost or severely undermined, and in this regard stresses the importance of scaled-up action to improve financial and digital literacy, with an emphasis on practical skills, including budgeting, saving, insurance and long-term planning, alongside effective consumer protection for the poorest and most vulnerable, including for women, young people, rural residents and migrants;
16
Also acknowledges the importance of promoting efforts to expand access to financial products and services across society, particularly for women, youth, persons with disabilities, displaced people, migrants and those in vulnerable situations, and in this regard calls for enhanced efforts by Member States, international financial institutions and relevant stakeholders to design tailored financial products and services that address their specific needs;
17
Further acknowledges the efforts and actions on financial inclusion for sustainable development undertaken by a wide range of stakeholders working in partnership, such as the Alliance for Financial Inclusion, the Better Than Cash Alliance, the Special Advocate of the Secretary-General for Financial Health and the Group of 20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion, urges them to engage in an inclusive and transparent manner with Member States in their work, in order to ensure that their initiatives complement or strengthen the United Nations system, including the United Nations Capital Development Fund and the regional commissions, and encourages enhanced coordination and cooperation with the Inter-Agency Task Force on Financing for Development;
18
Encourages the international community, including Member States, and all relevant stakeholders, including the entities of the United Nations system, international financial institutions, other intergovernmental bodies, regional and national development banks, domestic financial institutions, credit unions, multi‑stakeholder partnerships and relevant non‑governmental organizations, as appropriate, to further develop financial literacy and financial education programmes that equip individuals with the capacity to strengthen their financial health, as appropriate, in order to ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to access financial services, in particular women and girls, Indigenous Peoples, farmers and those working in micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises;
19
Encourages Member States and all relevant stakeholders, as appropriate, in the context of a renewed and strengthened Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, led by Governments, to further efforts to reduce the transaction costs of migrant remittances to less than 3 per cent by 2030 and eliminate remittance corridors with costs higher than 5 per cent by 2030, considering that the global average was about 6.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2025, which has remained unchanged in the past five to six years, to support national authorities in addressing the most significant obstacles to the continued flow of remittances, such as the trend of banks withdrawing services, and to work towards expanding access to and the volume of remittances through regulated and transparent channels, and in this regard highlights the potential of financial technology services to offer alternative channels and reduce remittance costs;
20
Also encourages Member States and all relevant stakeholders to support developing countries in line with their national circumstances and priorities in creating enabling domestic environments for development of digital financial services for all, including with a gender perspective, underpinned by partnerships between local banks and digital financial service firms to expand access to and reach of remittance and financial inclusion services, especially in rural areas, and adaptive regulatory frameworks that effectively manage the opportunities and risks of new technologies;
21
Commits to promoting open finance schemes to increase financial inclusion and the competition and growth of the fintech sector while respecting applicable national data privacy and personal data protection rules;
22
Looks forward to the continuing consideration of financial inclusion in the forthcoming reports of the Inter-Agency Task Force on financing for sustainable development, as appropriate and in accordance with existing mandates, as well as in the annual report of the Secretary-General on progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and to the further consideration of financial inclusion for sustainable development at the 2026 Economic and Social Council forum on financing for development follow-up;
23
Reaffirms the commitment at the very heart of the 2030 Agenda to leave no one behind, and commits to taking more tangible steps to support people in vulnerable situations and the most vulnerable countries and to reach the furthest behind first;
24
Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its eighty-second session, under the item entitled “Macroeconomic policy questions”, the sub-item entitled “Financial inclusion for sustainable development”.

iParagraph content is machine-extracted from UN documents. For authoritative content, please refer to the official UN document.

Table of contents

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