New platform aims to get money moving before disaster strikes
2 days ago
Major floods in the Magoanine neighbourhood of Maputo City in Mozambique in January 2026, submerged thousands of homes and left vegetation partially underwater.
UN agencies on Thursday launched a joint platform at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, that aims to secure access to more than $3 billion in risk financing to protect 75 million people and their livelihoods from climate shocks and natural hazards by 2030.
“ Disasters are increasingly predictable, yet the financing needed to act ahead of them remains slow and fragmented ,” said Lisa Doughten, Director of Financing and Outreach at UN aid coordination office, OCHA .
Agencies will share expertise, pool data and coordinate joint solutions, pairing predictive analysis with funds so that early warnings can be turned into anticipatory action. Working with the insurance industry and financial markets will be key to keeping costs down as financing scales up.
The initiative has already delivered its first results : with support from WFP ’s specialist insurance teams, OCHA and UNICEF have put in place insurance policies that provide a financial safety net for their anticipatory action programmes.
“A robust forecast can give us days, sometimes even weeks, to act before a flood, storm or heatwave puts children at risk,” said Gernot Laganda, UNICEF Global Practice Director for Climate and Environment.
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