A strategic partnership has been announced between the Bridgetown Initiative and the Insurance Development Forum (IDF), aiming to close critical gaps in climate disaster preparedness and response across developing economies. The collaboration, unveiled at the IDF Summit 2025, seeks to embed insurance more deeply into disaster financing models and the broader international financial architecture (IFA).
The joint effort will focus on supporting Emerging Markets and Developing Economies (EMDEs), which are disproportionately exposed to climate-related and natural disaster risks. According to the partners, economic losses from such events can be up to ten times higher in low-income countries than in high-income nations when measured as a percentage of GDP.
As an initial step, the two organisations will release a joint paper during London Climate Action Week. The publication will present policy recommendations for governments, multilateral development banks (MDBs), bilateral donors, and regulatory bodies. It will explore how insurance can be strategically positioned to manage financial risk and support development and climate adaptation goals.
The Bridgetown Initiative will engage with the COP30 Presidency and other multilateral forums to advocate for the integration of insurance into global financial reform efforts—particularly those concerning climate-vulnerable nations and donor governments.
Concurrently, the Insurance Development Forum (IDF) will lead the technical design and deployment of insurance solutions in selected countries, aiming to showcase the practical implementation of the approach outlined in the paper.
IDF Secretary General Ekhosuehi Iyahen noted that the partnership leverages the Bridgetown Initiative’s deep understanding of the challenges confronting vulnerable nations, alongside the IDF’s insurance expertise and proven track record in delivering projects across developing markets.
The initiative is backed by funding from the Government of Denmark through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with support from the Quadrature Climate Foundation—both of which are committed to advancing climate resilience and financial risk mitigation globally.
