GFIA Urges Strategic Shift to Climate Risk Mitigation to Safeguard Global Insurance Resilience

The Global Federation of Insurance Associations (GFIA) has published a new paper “Prevention as a Strategic Pillar of Societal and Sectoral Resilience: insurers as key players”. Building on the GFIA paper “Planning for the future: a road toward resilience” (2025), this paper focuses specifically on prevention and mitigation. It examines how prevention and mitigation measures can reduce the impact of natural catastrophes and support long-term insurability.

The paper highlights the urgent need to shift from crisis response to risk anticipation and mitigation, and sets out how insurers, businesses, individuals and public authorities can work together to strengthen resilience in the face of increasing climate-related risks. Key highlights include:

• Prevention and mitigation are essential cornerstones of both societal and insurance sector resilience.
• Insurers support climate adaptation strategies by providing data on natural catastrophe losses, risk modelling and technical expertise.
• Public-private partnerships can bring together data, expertise and investment to strengthen infrastructure resilience and support long-term planning.
• The importance of climate literacy initiatives in helping households and businesses better understand and manage climate risks.
• Financial incentives can be a powerful driver of change by encouraging resilience investments and risk-reduction measures.
• Effective prevention and mitigation measures can support the continued availability of insurance coverage in higher-risk regions.
• Businesses should adopt a proactive approach to climate risk assessment and invest in measures that strengthen operational resilience and business continuity.

Drawing on practical examples from GFIA Members in a range of jurisdictions, the paper also illustrates how insurers are promoting climate literacy, supporting resilience investments and strengthening preparedness for natural catastrophes.

The paper was developed by the GFIA Climate Risks and Extreme Events Working Group.

"This GFIA paper has been developed at a time when the growing frequency and severity of climate-related events are placing increasing pressure on communities, economies and insurance markets. It provides examples in practice, guidance for action and demonstrates how prevention and mitigation, supported by public-private cooperation, can reduce risks and strengthen resilience." said Christian Pierotti, Chair of the Working Group.

Read the full paper here.