Start Network, a coalition of over 50 humanitarian organisations, and Aon, a global re/insurance broker, have launched a new reinsurance mechanism to expand Start Ready’s capacity to deliver early funding for climate-related emergencies.
The agreement introduces a reinsurance layer that protects Start Ready’s pooled fund, which supports anticipatory actions for forecasted climate events.
The fund provides pre-arranged financing for risks such as floods, droughts, and heatwaves in vulnerable regions.
The new mechanism helps ensure the fund can continue to operate even when spending exceeds expected levels.
Using financial modelling, the structure enables Start Ready to manage its portfolio more efficiently and allocate funds based on the probability of risk, rather than available cash alone.
This approach increases reach and supports more communities facing climate threats.
The solution addresses the pressure of overlapping crises. It allows Start Ready to maintain funding for humanitarian operations during multiple concurrent events. So far, the fund has supported close to one million people through more than 30 responses across three risk pools.
The insurance structure protects a portfolio of early warning and early action programmes on an aggregate loss basis. It reduces the risk of fund exhaustion and enables continued operations even during heavy funding demands.
Anna Farina, Head of Crisis Anticipation and Risk Finance at Start Network, highlighted the benefit of this partnership: the added reinsurance capacity enables the organisation to extend funding further and deliver support earlier, particularly in countries most exposed to climate shocks.
We are delighted to collaborate with Aon to design and implement an innovative and groundbreaking mechanism that enhances protection for vulnerable communities across our nine countries of operation.
Anna Farina, Head of Crisis Anticipation and Risk Finance at Start Network
“Thanks to this insurance layer, Start Ready funds can be stretched even further enabling more people to be protected and more resources to be disbursed ahead of specific climate events. This is a significant step forward in scaling anticipatory action and building greater resilience where it’s needed most.”
Emma Karhan, Head of Public Private Partnerships at Aon, said the project reflects Aon’s commitment to humanitarian solutions and climate resilience. The collaboration helps shift humanitarian financing away from reactive models, offering more flexibility and predictability in resource deployment.
We are proud to work with the Start Network on this groundbreaking insurance mechanism. This initiative underscores our dedication to fostering resilience and providing innovative solutions for humanitarian efforts.
“With this reinsurance layer, Start Ready can extend its reach and impact, ensuring that more communities receive the life-saving support they need in the face of climate crises.”
The mechanism also aims to attract private capital by using donor contributions as leverage, introducing more capital efficiency into disaster risk financing. This extends the Start Ready model to a wider range of countries and strengthens support for at-risk populations.
