Symposium – ECO-DRR and Innovative Finance & Insurance

Tokyo, Japan

4 December 2019

Date and Time: 4 Dec 2019  14:00 – 17:45
Venue: 3-9 Kanda Surugadai Chiyoda-ku Tokyo Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Surugadai Building 1F

As an opportunity to raise awareness of finance schemes for a nature-based resilient society on the back of increasingly serious natural disasters in Japan, an inaugural symposium was co-convened by the MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings, Inc. and the National Institutes for the Humanities Research Project ”Change of Local Communities and Reconstruction of Community Cultures after Disasters in Japanese Archipelago”. UNEP FI supported the event together with Future Earth Japan Hub.

As examples of cutting-edge Eco-DRR finance, two innovative financial schemes, a Coral Reef Insurance in Mexico and a Forest Resilience Bond in Northern California were introduced by Jeffrey R. Bohn, Chief Research and Innovation Officer of Swiss Re Institute, and Zach Knight, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Blue Forest Conservation respectively.

Distinguished expert speakers and participants agreed that not only post-disaster action but also disaster prevention and risk reduction action and financial mobilisation need to be scaled up and collaboration with multiple stakeholders are key to move things forward. 

Discussion on this important topic has just started in Japan.

photo credit – MS&AD Insurance Group

Agenda and Programme in Japanese and in English