Race to Resilience in action: How insurance is protecting millions from climate risks in the Philippines, Uzbekistan, Togo, and Morocco

As climate change continues to pose severe risks worldwide, the InsuResilience Solutions Fund under the InsuResilience Global Partnership Vision 2025, a partner of the Race to Resilience Campaign, is spearheading a series of innovative insurance projects across the world, including in the Philippines, Uzbekistan, Togo, and Morocco. These initiatives aim to protect millions of vulnerable people from climate-induced disasters, marking a significant step forward in the global Race to Resilience.  By Climate Champions | September 17, 2024

Expanding climate insurance for Filipino farmers

  • Partner: InsuResilience Solutions Fund under the InsuResilience Global Partnership Vision 2025
  • Implementer: CLIMBS Life and General Insurance Cooperative, IBISA, International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)
  • Country and Region: Philippines, 60 Provinces including Visayas and Mindanao
  • SAA Impact System: Agriculture
  • Impact/Beneficiaries: 36,000 farmers by 2025, with a potential reach of 360,000, focusing on those growing rice, maize, coffee, and cacao

The Philippines is advancing its efforts to protect farmers from climate-related risks through an expanded weather-based insurance initiative. Building on a successful 2021 pilot, the project – supported by CLIMBS Life and General Insurance Cooperative, IBISA, and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture – aims to extend coverage from 15 to 60 provinces, reaching 36,000 farmers by 2025. The initiative focuses on insuring loan portfolios and agricultural production against excess rainfall, wind, and drought, using advanced risk modeling and Earth Observation data to ensure fair and accurate pricing. The insurance primarily benefits cooperatives with members growing key crops like rice, maize, coffee, and cacao, providing critical financial protection and stability in a sector that employs 26% of the country’s workforce.

Running from January 2023 to December 2025, with a grant of EUR 713,850, the project also aims to boost the economic resilience of the Philippines’ agricultural communities by increasing the lending capacity of cooperatives and ensuring swift claims processing. By the project’s end, it is expected to benefit 360,000 farmers, significantly enhancing their ability to withstand the financial impacts of natural disasters

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Strengthening agricultural resilience in Uzbekistan

  • Partner: InsuResilience Global Partnership
  • Implementer: Uzagrosugurta, Europa Re AG, Swiss RE, Semurg
  • Country and Region: Uzbekistan, Fergana Valley (Fergana, Namangan, Andijan oblast)
  • SAA Impact System: Multi-peril crop insurance targeting horticulture and vegetable sectors
  • Impact/Beneficiaries: Nearly 259,000 farmers by 2025, particularly small-scale Dehqan farmers

A new insurance initiative is being rolled out across Uzbekistan’s Fergana Valley, targeting the country’s vital horticulture and vegetable sectors. The program will offer comprehensive coverage against a range of threats – including spring frost, wind, hail, flood, fire, irrigation failure, and pests – providing a safety net for small-scale Dehqan farmers and commercial growers alike.

The project, a collaboration between key stakeholders like Uzagrosugurta, Europa Re AG, Swiss RE, and Semurg, aims to design insurance products for up to six crops, with initial focus on apricots, cherries, grapes, and vegetables. By 2025, the project expects to benefit nearly 259,000 farmers, most of whom are among the country’s poorest and most vulnerable. In addition to insurance product design, the initiative includes capacity building for government stakeholders, awareness campaigns for farmers, and a thorough market assessment of the existing legal and regulatory frameworks.

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Protecting Togo’s vulnerable communities from flood risks

  • Partner: InsuResilience Solutions Fund under the InsuResilience Global Partnership Vision 2025
  • Implementer: AXA Climate, Howden, Pionniers en Action pour le Développement Intégré à l’Environnement (PADIE)
  • Country and Region: Togo, Cities of Kpalimé, Golfe 1, Golfe 7
  • SAA Impact System: Agriculture
  • Impact/Beneficiaries: Over 351,000 individuals by 2025, with a focus on vulnerable and uninsured populations

In response to the growing threat of floods, exacerbated by climate change and urbanization, Togo is launching an initiative to safeguard its most vulnerable communities. The project focuses on the cities of Kpalimé, Golfe 1, and Golfe 7, aiming to reduce flood risks through advanced mapping, adaptation strategies, and a new insurance mechanism. With a timeline stretching to 2050 and considering various climate scenarios, the project will model the evolution of flood risks and propose cost-effective measures to protect critical infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and markets.

The project, supported by partners like AXA Climate and Howden, will introduce an index-based flood insurance product designed to enhance the resilience of Togo’s municipalities. Targeting over 351,000 beneficiaries by 2025, this initiative is particularly focused on helping the poorest and most vulnerable populations. Key activities include detailed risk assessments, product development, and stakeholder coordination to ensure that the insurance mechanism is both effective and sustainable.

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Enhancing flood protection for Morocco’s coastal cities

  • Partner: ​​InsuResilience Solutions Fund under the InsuResilience Global Partnership Vision 2025
  • Implementer: Gallagher Re, Société Centrale de Réassurance (SCR)
  • Country and Region: Morocco, Coastal cities including Tetouan, Kenitra, Rabat, Salé, Marrakech, Tanger, Casablanca
  • SAA Impact System:
  • Impact/Beneficiaries: Over 140,000 individuals by 2025, targeting vulnerable households in flood-prone areas

In a bid to protect its coastal communities from the rising threat of floods, Morocco is launching a cutting-edge initiative that combines the power of IoT technology with advanced flood risk management. The project will see the deployment of flood sensors across key urban areas such as Tetouan, Kenitra, Rabat, Salé, Marrakech, Tanger, and Casablanca, targeting regions most vulnerable to the increasing impact of rising sea levels and flash floods.

With the support of partners like Gallagher Re and Société Centrale de Réassurance (SCR), the project will enhance Morocco’s flood risk model, enabling real-time monitoring and improving early warning systems. This initiative also includes the development of a macro-level, index-based flood insurance product designed specifically for vulnerable and uninsured households, covering property damage and personal injuries caused by urban flooding. By 2025, the project aims to provide protection to over 140,000 individuals, with a focus on those most at risk and unable to afford traditional insurance.

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