Sovereign & Humanitarian Solutions Working Group (SHS)
The Sovereign & Humanitarian Solutions Working Group (SHS) is focused on reducing the protection gap in climate-exposed Emerging Markets and Developing Economies (EMDEs) by supporting the design, placement, and operationalisation of insurance and risk financing
solutions for sovereigns, sub-sovereigns, and humanitarian actors.
Through close collaboration between the insurance industry, governments, humanitarian organisations, and development partners, SHS works to embed risk financing instruments into national fiscal frameworks, public financial management systems, and humanitarian response mechanisms, ensuring they are scalable, repeatable, and aligned with country priorities.
Building on foundational programmes such as the Tripartite Partnership and the IDF-AFD Integrated Disaster Risk Management Alliance (IDRIMA), SHS has shifted from concept development toward implementation at scale, with a strong emphasis on translating technical solutions into operational transactions and sustainable programmes.
SHS focuses its work across four interlinked areas:
Transaction development and pipeline building
- Support the development and execution of a pipeline of sovereign, sub-sovereign, and humanitarian risk transfer transactions, working closely with governments, development partners, and relevant IDF workstreams to move from pilots to repeatable solutions.
Product structuring and market enablement
- Support the adaptation and structuring of insurance and risk financing solutions, particularly for macro and public assets risks, to ensure products are technically sound, market-ready, and aligned with fiscal and regulatory realities, rather than duplicating early-stage innovation.
Transaction-linked capacity and institutionalisation
- Strengthen government and humanitarian counterpart capacity through hands-on, transaction-linked support, including integration with budget processes, contingency planning, and claims pathways, drawing on partnerships such as the World Bank GSFF and other development institutions.
Coordination, knowledge exchange, and system-building
- Act as a coordination platform to align industry, multilateral, civil society, and government efforts; reduce fragmentation, and promote shared learning focused on what it takes to implement and sustain risk financing programmes over time.
Implementation Work Highlights:
- Driving work on projects through the Tripartite Agreement Programme.
- Working on projects of the IDF-AFD Integrated Disaster Risk Management Alliance (IDRIMA).
Advocacy and Engagement Work Highlight:
- Driving engagement and advocacy work for the IDF-Bridgetown Partnership.
- Engagement through a humanitarian partner.
- Contributing to represent the IDF objectives and work at own IDF events and external conferences, including own IDF convenings,, COP conferences and others.
- Driving production of public good publications, such as the “IDF Practical Guide to Insuring Public Assets” and the IDF-Bridgetown “From Risk to Resilience – How Insurance Can Mobilise Disaster Finance and Climate Investment in Vulnerable Economies”.
Sovereign & Humanitarian Solutions Working Group (SHS) Leadership
Working Group members
ADB (Asian Development Bank)
AFD
Africa Re
Africa Specialty Risks
Allianz
Aon
AXA
Blue Marble Microinsurance
BMZ
CDP (Centre for Disaster Protection)
Celsius Pro
Convex
Descartes Underwriting
DfID / FCDO
Europa Re
Gallagher Re
Generali
GIZ
Guy Carpenter A Marsh Business
Hannover Re
Howden
InsuResilience Solutions Fund / Frankfurt School
KfW
Liberty
Lloyd’s DRF
Hiscox
Milliman
MS Amlin
Munich Re
NORAD
REAP (IFRC)
RenaissanceRe
Rescue (IRC)
SCOR
START Network
Swiss Re
UN OCHA
UNDP
WFP
World Bank
WTW
World Bank Group
ZEP-RE
Zurich Insurance
Documents
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