Project profile — Centre of excellence on gender-smart solutions

This project seeks to increase the adoption of gender-smart approaches in the Climate and Disaster Risk Finance and Insurance (CDRFI) sector. The Project plays a role in the InsuResilience Global Partnership and the Global Shield Against Climate Risks. These work to increase the financial protection of vulnerable people to minimize and address losses and damages associated with the impacts of climate change. Project activities include: (1) collecting and generating knowledge and evidence on emerging strategies and good practices for gender-smart approaches in the CDRFI sector; (2) providing guidance notes, toolkits, training and advisory services to policymakers and practitioners aiming to implement gender-smart solutions; (3) providing capacity-building opportunities on good practices in gender equality, including scholarships and leadership training for women; and (4) establishing a collaborative network platform where users can share evidence of their gender-smart solutions. The platform also provides an expert directory that links policymakers and practitioners with expertise in climate change and gender approaches to enhance the development of CDRFI solutions.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) increased understanding and application of knowledge for gender-informed policy frameworks and implementation of gender-responsive CDRFI solutions; (2) empowered women and policymakers through scholarship and leadership training to facilitate the implementation of gender-informed and innovative approaches to CDRFI; and (3) empowered policymakers and practitioners through training and expert support to facilitate the implementation of gender-informed and innovative approaches to CDRFI.

Results achieved through the support of the Governments of Canada and Germany as of May 2025 include: (1) supported the Governments of Costa Rica, The Gambia, and Ghana in developing and submitting comprehensive requests for financial support from the Global Shield. The funding request incorporated gender equality considerations and practices in their strategy to address intersectional vulnerabilities to climate risks; (2) provided advisory support to 9 CDRFI implementing organizations worldwide. This helped them apply gender-smart approaches to monitoring and evaluation, integrate gender considerations into policy design and implementation, and include gender equality into policy development processes. As a result of the project’s recommendations, 6 organizations strengthened their capacity and processes by embedding gender equality considerations into insurance solutions; (3) created an expert directory where governments, non-governmental organizations, academia, and the private sector can find a list of experts to advise on gender-responsive projects and programs or conduct research; (4) sponsored 50 insurance regulators (1 senior official and 1 high-potential woman leader) for a 12-week Leadership and Diversity Program for Regulators led by Women’s World Banking and Saïd Business School at Oxford University. This program aims to develop policies to advance women’s financial inclusion; and (5) delivered 9 online Live Talk sessions, providing an interactive platform where experts showcased innovative approaches and shared research, tools, and best practices on gender-responsive CDRFI.