In brief
On 3 November 2026 the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), together with UNICEF and the World Food Programme, introduced an insurance scheme that pledges up to $40 million for anticipatory humanitarian action. The programme will activate funding when disaster forecasts predict imminent risk, and insurers will step in if demand exceeds a pre‑set threshold. Geneva‑based insurers Gallagher Re and Liberty Mutual are the key partners, while the Centre for Disaster Protection provides technical guidance.
In New York on 3 November 2026 the United Nations announced a new insurance scheme that could unlock up to US$40 million to help vulnerable communities prepare for disasters before they strike. The program is led by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, in partnership with UNICEF and the World Food Programme, and is designed to safeguard anticipatory humanitarian action during years of exceptionally high disaster risk.
Under the scheme, OCHA will allocate funding when forecasters predict an approaching disaster. If the demand for such assistance exceeds a predetermined threshold, insurers will provide additional resources, enabling humanitarian organisations to reach more people before a crisis unfolds. The plan is intended to protect the existing 150 million‑dollar anticipatory action portfolio that covers more than five million people and to reduce the financial pressure on OCHA during simultaneous emergencies.
“The scheme provides an additional line of defence to protect more people before conditions deteriorate, while improving the efficiency of available funding,” said Tom Fletcher, UN Under‑Secretary‑General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. He added that disasters do not wait for institutions to be ready, underscoring the need for advance preparedness.
Gallagher Re structured and arranged the insurance coverage, with Liberty Mutual serving as the lead insurer. The Centre for Disaster Protection offered independent technical advice to the United Nations on the initiative.
According to a brief statement surfaced in a United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs publication, the scheme could unlock up to US$40 million to help vulnerable households purchase food, protect property, or relocate to safer areas. However, the cited OCHA web page is currently not available, and its contents cannot be confirmed at present.
