Six United Nations agencies on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, launched a joint platform at the COP31 climate conference in Antalya, Türkiye. The platform aims to secure access to more than $3 billion in risk financing by 2030. According to UN News, the goal is to protect 75 million people and their livelihoods from climate shocks and natural hazards.
The UN Disaster Risk Financing Platform brings together the Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Organization for Migration, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the World Food Programme (WFP). The announcement did not say who is providing the $3 billion or how much has been committed so far.
The platform aims to make disaster response funding more predictable and to increase the money available for early action during major crises. It also aims to stretch each dollar further by combining existing resources with support from the private sector.
The agencies will share expertise, pool data and coordinate joint solutions. They plan to pair predictive analysis with funds so that early warnings can lead to anticipatory action, meaning steps taken before a disaster hits. Working with the insurance industry and financial markets will be key to keeping costs down as the financing grows, according to the announcement.
Lisa Doughten, Director of Financing and Outreach at OCHA, said: “Disasters are increasingly predictable, yet the financing needed to act ahead of them remains slow and fragmented.”
The initiative has already produced its first results, UN News reported. With help from WFP’s specialist insurance teams, OCHA and UNICEF have put in place insurance policies that serve as a financial safety net for their anticipatory action programs.
Gernot Laganda, UNICEF Global Practice Director for Climate and Environment, said a strong forecast can give days or even weeks to act before a flood, storm or heatwave puts children at risk. He said insurance means money is available to act on that warning, even in a year when several disasters come at once.
UN News pointed to significant gaps. Pre-arranged financing still accounts for less than 2% of global humanitarian financing, which it described as far short of what is needed.
WFP, the UN’s largest user of such financing, has helped secure nearly $211 million in pre-arranged finance this year. The money is meant to protect up to 9.6 million people in more than 50 countries, according to UN News.
Antón Leis García, UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, said acting early can save lives, protect livelihoods and prevent further displacement for refugees already on the frontlines of the climate crisis.