Event Summary
The Understanding Risk and Financing conference (UR&F) served as a platform for African policy makers to meet and discuss effective strategies and approaches for quantifying and managing financial risk at a regional, national, and local levels, including those associated with natural hazards and climate change. The conference, co-organized by GFDRR/World Bank, the AUC, the EU and the Government of Ethiopia, attracted 450 participants and a wide range of African partners including African Development Bank, Addis Ababa University, African Risk Capacity, along with 20 additional organizations, including private sector firms and insurance companies. Out of 95 speakers in total, 65% were from the region and 33% were women, and the following on social media was strong, with over 950 tweets which reached 34,000 impressions. More at URf by the numbers.
The conference was organized as part of the Program “Building Disaster Resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa”, an initiative of the ACP Group of States, financed by the EU, and implemented by the AUC, UNISDR, AfDB and GFDRR/World Bank. The conference also served to launch the Africa Disaster Risk Financing Initiative (Result 5 of the above-mentioned program).
Download the Proceedings
Agenda
View the agenda here. Programme français ici.
Media
Watch the highlights and focus day videos below and check out additional videos, including interviews with Colin Bruce, Emilienne Raoul, Firmino Filho, Ger Duany, Mary Mye-Kamara, OB Sisay, Stefan Dercon, and Sameh Naguib Wahba.
Highlights
Focus Day
Event Sessions
- Opening Ceremony
- Building Financial Resilience in Africa: A High-Level Dialogue
- Storytelling Event: 5 x 15
- Welcome Reception
- Plenary: Rethinking Risk Management Approaches & Practices: Africa’s Vulnerability to Natural Hazards, Climate Change, Forced Displacement, Conflict, and Pandemics
- Session: Governments in the Lead on Financial Preparedness: Lessons Learned from Around the World
- Session: What Risks? A Sample Set of Risk Assessments from Across the Region and How to Use Them
- Session: Protecting Development Gains: The Power of Risk Pooling and the G7s Insuresilience Initiative
- Session: Innovations in Risk Mapping: Mobile Phones, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and More
- Special Event: #URfAfrica: An Interactive Youth Chat on Understanding
- Session: Urban Resilience in Africa: Perspectives from Experts and City Officials
- Session: The Power of Insurance: Driving Financial Resilience for Governments and People
- Plenary: Crisis Complexity: Partnering to Improve Resilience in the Face of Rising Humanitarian Needs
- Session: Scaling Up Social Safety Nets in Response to Disasters: The Critical Role of National Programs
- Session: Building Resilience through Risk Financing: Cross-Sharing Experiences with Island States and Other Countries
- Focus Day at Addis Ababa University
- Plenary: After Ebola: The Future of Pandemic Risk Management