ICSC leads regional workshop to strengthen CDRFI in SEA

As part of its efforts to broaden understanding CDRFI in Southeast Asia, the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) facilitated a regional workshop with the Multi-Actor Partnership on Climate and Disaster Risk Finance and Insurance (MAP-CDRFI) on 29 May, 2025 at the Makati Diamond Residences, Philippines.

“Anchoring our strategies in community‐driven evidence and bottom-up insights ensures they enhance, rather than replace, national policies and international support, so every stakeholder’s perspective shapes the design and delivery of financial protection systems,” stressed ICSC Executive Director Angelo Kairos Dela Cruz in his keynote speech.

Aiming to review the process of CDRFI implementation in the region, the workshop served as a platform for knowledge exchange– highlighting best practices, and identifying key challenges and barriers that will inform the development of regional CDRFI approaches and instruments.

ICSC Director for Climate Policy Danica Marie Supnet emphasized the crucial role of data gathering and analysis in shaping CDRFI: “We need evidence, we need science-based approaches, more so developing a product like the CDRFI mechanism for localities, national governments, and the entire region.”

Also present in the workshop were various regional organizations, civil society, private sector, and representatives from academia.

The workshop was supported by CARE, Germanwatch e.V., and the Munich Climate Insurance Initiative (MCII).