This free, self-paced eLearning course provides an introduction to Foundations for climate and disaster risk finance and insurance (CDRFI), bringing together perspectives from civil society organizations (CSOs), governments, local and regional insurers, development partners, and other key stakeholders. The course offers critical insights into national policy and decision-making processes, loss-and-damage discussions, and the development, implementation, and scaling of financial protection solutions. Additionally, through tailored deep dives for different stakeholder groups, participants will explore their respective roles, opportunities, and challenges in strengthening climate and disaster resilience, while gaining practical knowledge to engage more effectively in CDRFI initiatives and broader resilience-building efforts at national, regional, and international levels.

Topic: Climate and Disaster Risk Finance and Insurance
Type: Online self-paced
Language: English, French
Provider: Munich Climate Risk Initiative (MCII), United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS)
Region: Global
Compatibility: Desktop, Laptop, Tablet, Smartphone
Duration: 9–12 h
Course overview
  • Module 1: Climate Risk Foundations (Time required: 2–2.5 hours)
  • Module 2: CDRFI Instruments & Risk Layering (Time required: 2.5–3 hours)
  • Module 3: National Policy Integration (Time required: 1.5–2 hours)
  • Module 4: Global Processes, Institutions & Access (Time required: 2.5–3 hours)
  • Module 5: Deep Dives for Key Stakeholders
More information

The course consists of five modules, each comprised of several smaller units. The units feature mixed media content, including expert videos and case studies, and provide additional reading to dig deeper into to the different topics. After each unit, students take a short quiz and are invited to engage with fellow learners in the course forum to reflect on their personal experience. After successful completion of the course, students will be awarded an official, personalized and verifiable certificate issued by MCII and the United-Nations University – Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS).

The course consists of five modules, each comprised of several smaller units. The units feature mixed media content, including expert videos and case studies, and provide additional reading to dig deeper into to the different topics. After each unit, students complete a short quiz and are encouraged to engage with fellow learners through the course forum, providing an opportunity to reflect on their experiences and discuss key concepts. Within the first four modules, participants undertake a module-based assessment designed to evaluate their overall understanding and knowledge gained across the units. The fifth module is structured as a dedicated deep-dive unit, exploring key concepts in greater depth and examining their application from the perspectives of different stakeholder groups. After successful completion of the course, students will be awarded an official, personalized and verifiable certificate issued by MCII and the United Nations University – Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS).

The Munich Climate Insurance Initiative (MCII), which produced this course, is a leading think-tank on climate change and insurance, and is a forum for insurance-related expertise applied to climate change issues – under the vision that insurance solutions are an essential part of a wider climate risk management strategy. Thus, people who are currently not able to access or afford insurance against extreme weather events should be enabled to protect their livelihoods against the negative impacts of climate change. MCII was started as a charitable organization by insurers, research institutes and NGOs in April 2005 in response to the growing realization that insurance solutions can play a role in adaptation to climate change, as suggested in the Framework Convention and the Kyoto Protocol. MCII is hosted at the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS).

This course is an output of the MCII project “Multi-Actor Partnership (MAP) on Climate and Disaster Risk Financing and Preparedness in the Context of the InsuResilience Global Partnership”, and was developed in consultation with the project’s partners. MAPs on CDRFI aim to strengthen the technical understanding of CDRFI solutions and spur an effective collaboration between civil society organizations, governments and private sector stakeholders at the national and international level. Throughout the project (2019-2022), which is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Development and Economic Cooperation (BMZ) with support from Engagement Global, MAPs have been initiated and partially established in the Caribbean, Lao PDR, Malawi, Madagascar, the Philippines, Senegal and Sri Lanka through local project partners with support from CARE Germany, MCII and Germanwatch. The course was updated and modernized following the transition of the Global Shield Against Climate Risk Secretariat to the Frankfurt School under the Global Shield Secretariat Co-Hosting arrangement. This revision broadened the range of stakeholder perspectives reflected in the course content and enhanced its relevance and accessibility for diverse stakeholder groups.

The update was made possible through the contributions of consultant Jennifer Cissé and teams from the Global Shield and MCII, the Policy, Solutions, and Analytics teams. Special recognition is extended to Ann-Kathrin Schmitz, Anum Zahra, Alexandra Mieth, and Christon Herbert for their valuable support and contributions to the development and enhancement of the course.