Programme | 2026 | Session 4B

Getting ahead of the curve: direct finance for climate resilience

14:30 – 16:00
in
Upper Sugar Room
Challenge session
A practical session exploring how anticipatory social protection, pre-arranged finance and cash transfers can deliver faster, community-led resilience before climate crises escalate.
Head and shoulders photo of Allison Robertshaw.
Allison Robertshaw
Head of climate justice
Comic Relief
Head and shoulders photo of Wadeisor Rukato.
Wadeisor Rukato
Lead associate
Humanity Insured
Head and shoulders photo of Ninni Ikkala Nyman.
Ninni Ikkala Nyman
Lead, climate change
IFRC – International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Head and shoulders photo of Tessa Ferry.
Tessa Ferry
Head of international climate change
Scottish government
Head and shoulders photo of Kazi Amdadul Hoque.
Kazi Amdadul Hoque
Senior director, strategic planning and head of climate action
Friendship NGO
Head and shoulders photo of Bhim Adhikari.
Bhim Adhikari
Senior programme specialist/senior environmental economist
International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
Head and shoulders photo of Matt Holmes.
Matt Holmes
Group head, political and government affairs
Zurich Insurance Group
Head and shoulders photo of Abdihakim Ainte.
Abdihakim Ainte
Director, food security and climate change
Office of the Prime Minister, government of Somalia
Head and shoulders photo of Oscar A. Garcia.
Oscar A. Garcia
Director of monitoring, evaluation and learning
Green Climate Fund
Head and shoulders photo of Shakira Mustapha.
Shakira Mustapha
Head of evidence
Centre for Disaster Protection
Head and shoulders photo of Catalina Jaime.
Catalina Jaime
Head of secretariat
Risk Informed Early Action Partnership (REAP)

Climate shocks are increasing in frequency and intensity, yet finance continues to arrive too late, after livelihoods are lost and recovery costs have escalated. The core challenge is how to mobilise, align and deliver finance to communities before crises unfold.

This session brings together three complementary perspectives on how to do this at scale:

  • Comic Relief and IIED will share learning from their partnership on anticipatory social protection and the Anticipatory Social Protection Index for Resilience (ASPIRE) roadmap, drawing on evidence from nine countries
  • The Centre for Disaster Protection will share evidence on pre-arranged finance and public financial management for disaster response, including work on adaptive social protection in the Sahel, and 
  • Equal Right will share experience delivering unconditional cash transfers for climate action, nature and community advocacy.

The session will focus on ensuring pre-arranged finance flows through social protection systems at speed and scale, building partnerships that strengthen early action, work through national systems, and centre Majority World leadership.

Session hosts

Comic Relief, Centre for Disaster Protection, Cash for Conservation Group co-founded by Equal Right