New climate change resilience initiative must work for the most vulnerable

Reacting to the launch of the InsuResilience Global Partnership at the COP 23, Tracy Carty, the head of Oxfam’s delegation at the summit said:  “We’re happy to see the Partnership focus on the risks that climate-vulnerable communities face. We’ve seen the catastrophic damage that extreme weather disasters can wreak on vulnerable people, like homes and livelihoods destroyed by floods and storms. “However, we’re concerned that too much of the focus is on the ‘insurance’ aspect; insurance doesn't actually reduce risk, and it could be unaffordable for the communities it's meant to cover. The Partnership should push a comprehensive approach to climate disasters, from reducing risk through adaptation initiatives, building the capacity to deal with disasters, and supporting people recovering after the fact. "We applaud the German government for pledging more than $100m to support the activities of the Partnership."