Gender Inclusive Disaster Risk Financing - Executive Summary

In 2021, Start Network commissioned a piece of research to analyse issues around gender for Disaster Risk Finance programming, in order to make recommendations to help us ensure the DRF systems we build and support are fully gender-sensitive, and to ensure that our programmes adequately account for gender differences at different points of the project cycle. Based on the ‘Missing Voices’ methodology developed by Practical Action, the research sought to hear from those individuals who are most marginalised, to gain insight into their experiences in order to design more inclusive approaches to disaster risk management. The research included a deep dive into two case studies - Bangladesh and the Philippines - to illustrate the gendered dimensions of DRF programming with real-life experiences.

Start Network is supporting locally led systems that enable frontline humanitarians to access early, predictable disaster risk finance. NGOs are supported to collectively analyse and quantify crisis risks and set trigger levels for action, pre-agree plans and prearrange financing ahead of crisis events. To date these systems, which include country-specific trigger funds and insurance policies, protect more than 450,000 people from hazards including forecasted drought and heatwaves in countries such as Pakistan and Senegal. Start Network's financing facility (currently under development) will bring these pilots together, scaling DRF across countries and hazards and taking advantage of risk pooling and wider financial instruments such as insurance. As we scale, we are also improving the quality of our DRF systems, including integrating gender within each stage of the DRF system development process.

Read the full report here.