Please note that the following event details will be regularly updated as we receive new and more concrete information on each session.
Stakeholders’ Recommendations to the Operationalisation of the Santiago Network on Loss and Damage
Unlocking Sustainable Investment in Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Action
11:45-12:30 | UNEP Pavilion
This side event will present a compelling business case for nature-based solutions as cost-effective approaches to address climate resilience challenges and advance climate adaptation efforts. It will emphasize the economic and practical benefits of integrating nature-based solutions into climate adaptation and risk reduction strategies.
Collaborative Futures: Bridging Gaps with AI and EO in Climate Risk Management and Adaptation
This session explores the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and Earth Observations (EO) for climate adaptation, including insurance and financial mechanisms. It sheds light on the role of the private sector, which is an important driver for the implementation of AI and EO-based risk transfer mechanisms and can provide new solutions as well as opportunities for collaboration.
While many challenges, such as data gaps or technology access, persist, successful implementation of AI and EO for risk transfer mechanisms is becoming more important in climate adaptation. Panelists share their perspectives on the power of these technologies in enhancing data accessibility by offering practical insights and sharing strategies for overcoming challenges. This session aims to foster collaboration to overcome shared challenges and discuss future opportunities on the transformative power of AI and EO in climate adaptation risk transfer mechanisms by establishing a platform for the private sector, governments, and development and international organizations.
Lessons Learned from Implementing Climate Risk Insurance Solutions in the Pacific
16:00-17:00 | Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion
In this panel discussion, UNCDF’s Pacific Insurance and Climate Adaptation Programme (PICAP) and its partners will share exciting results and lessons learned from implementing climate risk insurance solutions in the Pacific. Preceded by the beneficiary impact stories, an experienced panel of experts will highlight practical approaches to working with country stakeholders in addressing the protection gap.
Moderated by: Mr Krishnan Narasimhan – Lead Specialist and Programme Manager, Climate Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance, UNCDF
- (tbc) Hon’ble Ms. Lynda Tabuya – Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection, Republic of Fiji
- (tbc) Ms. Emelini Tuita – CEO of Tonga Development Bank
- Ms. Sarah Ahmed – V20 Adviser
- Ms. Sinja Buri – Team Lead Solutions and Practice Partnerships, MCII
- Closing remarks: Mr. Henri Dommel – Director Inclusive Digital Economics, UNCDF
Building Together: An Inclusive Dialogue on the Role of Insurance Solutions in Addressing Loss and Damages
Closing the Protection Gap – Boosting the Access to and Showcasing the Value of Parametric Climate Risk Insurance Solutions for the Most Vulnerable in the Pacific through Premium and Capital (PCS) Support
9:30-11:00 | UNCDF Pavilion
This session will explore the multifaceted aspects of operationalizing premium support, discussing the considerations such as sustainability, the role of different public and private sector stakeholders, the eligibility for and targeting of PCS as well as transparency questions.
Moderated by: Mr. Soenke Kreft – MCII
- Keynote: Mr. Henri Dommel – Director, Financial Inclusion, UNCDF
- Mr. Aholotu Palu – CEO, PCRIC
- Ms. Ana Ika – Chief Economist, Ministry of Finance, Tonga
- Ms. Jennifer Phillips – Advisor, Global Shield Secretariat
- Ms. Eleanor Hevey – Associate Director, Strategy and Engagement CDP
- Mr. Daniel Lund – Climate Change, Fijian Government
Loss and Damage Financing Solutions and Sources
14:45 – 15:45 | Nordic Council Pavilion
At the COP28 side-event the Study will be launched, and the key findings and suggestions for further research and potential areas of cooperation will be presented. The high-level political segment will focus on how the Nordic countries currently finance efforts to address L&D through the different funding arrangements, hereunder towards the Adaptation Fund, humanitarian aid, Official Development Assistance (ODA), support for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)and so on. It will also, however, highlight the need for enhanced finance, from both public and private sources and the need for new and innovative sources of finance for L&D. As such, it is an opportunity for the Nordic Ministers to draw on the findings of the Study and to welcome a wider dialogue on how to enhance sources of finance for L&D. The panel debate will include renowned experts in the field of finance for loss and damage from the Global North and Global South, including experts from the Transitional Committee.
Building Resilience to the Climate Crisis – Perspectives and Shared Solutions from the Global Risk Pools
17:00 – 18:30 | CARICOM Pavilion / Risk Pool Space
This event brings together the four regional risk pools (CCRIF SPC, ARC Ltd., PCRIC and SEADRIF) that are innovating climate risk financing and insurance solutions worldwide. By sharing their diverse experiences in designing and delivering risk pooling services, these pioneers aim to accelerate progress in climate change adaptation globally.
Moderated by: Ms. Sinja Buri – MCII Team Lead Solutions and Practice Partnerships, UNU-EHS
- Mr. Isaac Anthony, CEO, CCRIF SPC
- Mr. Lesley Ndlovu, CEO, ARC Ltd.
- Mr. Aholotu Palu, CEO, PCRIC
- Mr. Yoshihiro Kawai, Chair, SEADRIF
Integrating Anticipatory Action and Climate Risk Financing at the Meso-Level – New Solutions
9:30-11:00 | UNCDF Pavilion
Ex-ante financing solutions such as anticipatory action (AA) approaches are being increasingly used to reduce impacts on lives and livelihoods of forecast climate events before they unfold. AA lessens the effects of a climate event, particularly for low-income groups, and is an increasing means of humanitarian intervention by agencies and government to shield vulnerable groups and reduce the likelihood of communities being displaced by a climate-related disaster. Studies have confirmed that people who receive timely aid cope better with shocks, are able to cover essential items and tick off key resilience indicators.
To address the significant ex-ante financing and social protection gap that exists, especially at micro and meso levels, PICAP, in joint partnership and collaboration with UNDRR, designed an anticipatory solution that is being pilot-tested in Fiji for the period October 2023 to September 2024. This session will bring perspectives on how CDRFI solutions allow vulnerable communities to access supplies or quick liquidity before being affected by a cyclone, what are some of the other advantages of AA, what the pilot in Fiji and expansion in other PICs will entail including the initial research done, the modality, product specifications and what are some of the initial lessons learned.
Moderated by: Ms. Magdalena Mirwald – MCII
- Mr. Lee Karlos Moresi – PIFS
- Mr. Animesh Kumar – UNDRR
- Ms. Nelly Maonde – Start Network
- Dr. Nikolas Scherer – Anticipation Hub
- Ms. Sivoki Lavemauu – Deputy CEO, MoF, Tonga
Enabling Climate Action Through Data, Transparency, and Finance
13:15-14:45 | SE Room 2
The event will feature diverse participation, high-level UN speakers, youth, country representatives, media, and other climate actors. The anticipated outcome includes a roadmap for enhancing climate action through the necessary enabling factors.
Strengthening Resilience Through Innovative Climate Risk Transfer Solutions in Malawi, Niger, Senegal and Sierra Leone
9:30-11:00 | UNCDF Pavilion
Since its launch in 2020, the Pacific Insurance and Climate Adaptation Program (PICAP) team has been working on improving the financial preparedness and resilience of Pacific households, communities, small businesses, organizations, and governments towards the economic impacts of climate change-induced disasters. This is done through the development and deployment of market-based meso- and microinsurance products. Building on this success, UNCDF and UNU-EHS are expanding their collaboration within the framework of a new global program on Climate and Disaster Risk Finance and Insurance (CDRFI).
To better identify the needs of focus countries in Africa and explore opportunities for collaboration among public, private, and third-sector stakeholders, this session aims to highlight the specificities of the agricultural and insurance markets of four countries: Sierra Leone, Senegal, Niger, and Malawi. The panel of high-level country representatives and industry experts will discuss and complement the findings of the feasibility studies conducted in 2023.
- Keynote: Mr. Henri Dommel – UNCDF
- Mr. Nilesh Prakash – Global Shield
Coping with Climate Risk – the Role of Shock-Responsive Social Protection and Insurance in Supporting Vulnerable Groups
13:30-15:00 | CARICOM Pavilion / Risk Pool Space
The panel will explore the role of shock-responsive social protection within the context of loss and damage and strategies to help the most vulnerable.
Moderated by: Mr. Raja Nazaruddin, MCII
- (tbc) Ms. Penelope Beckles – Minister of Planning and Development, Trinidad & Tobago
- Mr. Gernot Laganda – WFP Director of Climate and DRR
- Ms. Gina Sanguinetti Phillips – CCRIF SPC
- Mr. Crispin d’Auvergne – OECS
- Mr. Krishnan Narasimhan – UNCDF
Operationalizing Micro and Meso-Level Premium Support for Climate Risk Insurance: Exploring Best Practices and Challenges
15:30-17:00 | CARICOM Pavilion / Risk Pool Space
Climate risk insurance plays a crucial role in building resilience against climate hazards and facilitating swift recovery from their impacts. While premium support has been instrumental in demonstrating the value of climate risk insurance at macro-level, the discussions on operationalizing PCS on micro and meso-level are still lacking.
Against this background and based on the findings of the new UNU-EHS and UNCDF publication on the considerations for micro and meso-level premium support, this session will explore the multifaceted aspects of operationalizing premium support, discussing the considerations such as sustainability, the role of different public and private sector stakeholders, the eligibility for and targeting of PCS as well as transparency questions.
Moderated by: Ms. Sinja Buri – MCII
- Ms. Lesley Ndlovu – ARC
- Mr. Isaac Anthony – CCRIF SPC
- Mr. Rowan Douglas – Holden Group
- Mr. Jwala Rambarran – CPDC
- Ms. Annette Detken – GSSP
- Ms. Eleanor Hevey – CDP
Climate Action for Resilient Livelihoods: Setting Pathways for Systemic Solutions
Civil Society and the Global Shield
17:00 – 18:00 | Ghana / CVF-V20 Pavilion
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) play a pivotal role in disaster risk finance. Their impact spans from fostering accountability to ensuring the inclusion of marginalized communities and offering valuable local perspectives. With the rapid growth of pre-arranged finance mechanisms to address losses and damages, including Disaster Risk Finance and Insurance, these discussions have become increasingly prevalent both within and beyond the UNFCCC framework. Notably, the Global Shield against Climate Risk (GS) has initiated its first in-country processes. Our event seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of how civil society can effectively engage in Disaster Risk Finance (DRF) and the Global Shield. We will critically examine expectations and current processes and emphasize the significance of leveraging established Multi-Actor Partnerships.
Minimizing and Addressing L&D with Locally-Led Adaptation and Risk-Transfer Financing Solutions
13:15-14:45 | SE Room 4
The session will explore and showcase how innovative country-based delivery mechanisms and financing solutions for locally-led adaptation action, combined with evidence-based risk transfer digital financing instruments, can be used to minimize and address L&D in the most climate-vulnerable countries.
Moderated by: Ms. Sinead Walsh, Climate Director, Member of the Transitional Committee on Loss and Damage, Ireland
- Keynote speaker – H.E. Mr. Seve Paeniu – Minister of Finance from Tuvalu
- H.E. Ms. Rohey John-Manjang – Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources, The Gambia
- H.E. Mr. Tiofilusi Tiueti – Minister of Finance, Kingdom of Tonga
- Mr. Ibrahima Cheikh Diong – United Nations Assistant Secretary General (ASG) and Director General of the African Risk Capacity (ARC) Group
Gender, Age, and Climate: Inclusive Disaster Risk Financing Solutions for Women, Youth, and Elderly People in Pacific
10:00-11:00 | Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion
This session delves into the intersection of gender, age, disaster risk financing, and insurance, addressing the heightened vulnerability of women, youth, and elderly populations in the face of climate change and sharing the best practice examples from the Pacific.
Moderated by: Ms. Mariam Parekhelashvili – MCII
- Ms.Namisha Nikita – Sr. Climate Change Officer, PM’s office, Fiji
- (tbc) Ms.Pauliane Basil – Senior Climate Adaptation Officer, Ministry of Climate change, Vanuatu
- Ms. Jennifer Phillips – Global Shield
Development-Positive Climate and Disaster Risk Finance Strategies, Experiences and Outlook
11:30-13:00 | SE Room 6
The event will discuss development-positive strategies to tackle the climate and debt poly-crisis in vulnerable countries, and how prearranged financial protection can support. The event will showcase experiences from practical cases and provide an outlook on future developments.
Moderation and thematic input: Mr. Sönke Kreft – MCII
- Mr. Foster Gyamfi – Ministry of Finance, Ghana
- Dr. Annette Detken – Frankfurt School of Finance and Management
- Ms. Charlotte Norman – NADMO Ghana
- Ms. Patricia Inga Falcon – Global Communities Columbia
- Mr. Rishikesh Ram Bhandary – BU Global Economic Governance Initiative