As the Insurance Development Forum (IDF) marks its 10th anniversary, Secretary General Ekhosuehi Iyahen reflects on a decade of partnership, purpose, and progress. From its inception, the IDF has sought to demonstrate that insurance is not simply a financial instrument but a foundation for resilience, stability, and inclusive growth. Here, Ekhosuehi shares her thoughts on how far the IDF has come, and where it is headed next.
Foundations, purpose and progress
When you reflect on the IDF’s creation ten years ago, what problem or gap were the founding partners most determined to solve, and how far do you feel the IDF has come in achieving that vision?
When I reflect on the creation of the Insurance Development Forum ten years ago, the driving motivation was clear: there was a deep gap between the scale of the climate and disaster risks facing vulnerable countries and the availability of the tools, data, and financial mechanisms needed to manage those risks. Climate change, rapid urbanisation, and economic volatility were already placing immense pressure on governments. Yet too often risk financing was treated as an afterthought – reactive, fragmented, and heavily reliant on humanitarian appeals, with very little consideration to its relevance in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Our founding members understood that insurance, when used strategically, could be far more than a risk financing product. Insurance capabilities could serve as a foundation for resilience broadly – helping countries understand their risk exposure, reduce and manage their risk, protect public finances, safeguard communities, and plan for a future that is increasingly defined by uncertainty. What was missing was a platform to bring together the expertise of the insurance industry, the policy leadership of governments, and the development mandate of international institutions, to tackle these complex issues collectively. The IDF was created to fill that gap – with a focus on implementation.
Ten years on, I believe we have made significant progress toward that original vision. We have operationalised our implementation platforms and expanded our advocacy efforts – demonstrating in very practical ways how risk analytics, risk financing/insurance solutions, and coordinated public–private partnerships can drive greater resilience. Through initiatives such as sovereign risk financing programmes, our work on risk analytics, and collaborations fostered between the private and public sector, we have helped countries not only access new tools, but also build the institutional capacity to use them effectively.
Perhaps most importantly, the narrative has shifted. Today, resilience building and risk financing are increasingly integral to development planning, fiscal policy, and climate adaptation strategies. That shift in mindset – with insurance being seen as a strategic enabler rather than a narrow view as a singular product – is one of the most meaningful signs of progress. This was strongly demonstrated in 2025, where the topic of pre-arranged financing and the role of insurance was visible in global policy outcomes such as G20 South Africa Summit Leaders’ Declaration, the “Seville Agreement” presented at the Financing for Development Conference (FFD4) as well as at COP30.
Of course, the journey is far from complete. The scale of global natural catastrophe risks continues to grow, and many countries still lack the institutional capabilities, tools and protection they need to address it. However, today the foundation we set out to build a decade ago is now firmly in place. We have a stronger community, clearer pathways for collaboration, and a proven track record of delivery. This foundation gives me confidence that we can go even further in the decade ahead – turning the promise of resilience into a lived reality for millions around the world and helping to build what we at IDF call “future ready nations”.
Evolution and milestones
Over the past decade, how has the IDF evolved from a conceptual alliance into a global platform for action? Are there particular milestones or initiatives that you see as defining moments for the Forum’s impact?
Over the past decade, the Insurance Development Forum has grown from an ambitious idea into a globally recognised platform for collective action.
In its initial years, the Forum functioned primarily as a space for dialogue: aligning perspectives, clarifying priorities, and demonstrating that insurance is not merely a financial product but a critical resilience mechanism that can protect lives, livelihoods, and economies. Over time, that conceptual alliance has matured into a structured ecosystem capable of mobilising expertise, capital, and operational capacity at scale.
Several milestones stand out as defining moments in this evolution. Our partnership with the United Nations and the World Bank Group created the institutional framework that allowed us to embed insurance solutions into broader development agendas.
The establishment of the Global Risk Modelling Alliance (GRMA), which we founded together with the V20 Group of Finance Ministers and the BMZ marked a step-change – democratising risk analytics and enabling countries to base decision-making on transparent, shared data and open risk models. Likewise, the implementation of our Tripartite Agreement Programme with the UNDP and German Government (BMZ), helped translate theory into practice, resulting in concrete risk financing programmes and technical expertise that countries can now draw on in their effort to protect vulnerable communities and public budgets from climate and disaster shocks.
Also important is our recent successful launch and first close of our Infrastructure Resilience Development Fund (IRDF), jointly developed with and managed by Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a part of BlackRock. These are not easy programmes to deliver.
But perhaps the most important milestone has been the shift from pilots to demonstrable, scalable impact. Today, the Forum is not only advancing thought leadership, but implementing programmes on the ground – supporting countries to design disaster risk financing strategies, strengthening regulatory capacity, and expanding access to climate and disaster insurance for those most at risk. And we are also driving actual investments from industry into much needed infrastructure in emerging markets. The fact is that there is no other institution doing what the IDF is doing, at the scale and with the level of trust we have built and impact we have been able to deliver.
So while the IDF began as a convening platform, it has evolved into a genuine catalyst for systemic change – one that is shaping the very architecture of global resilience and proving the value of public–private collaboration in tackling some of the world’s most pressing risks.
From idea to implementation
The IDF’s strength lies in translating ambition into operational delivery. What have been the key enablers, and challenges, in turning public–private collaboration into tangible resilience outcomes on the ground?
From the beginning, the Insurance Development Forum has been driven by a simple but powerful proposition: that when the public and private sectors work together, we can move from good intentions to real, measurable resilience outcomes. Over the past decade, the key enablers of that journey – from idea to implementation – have become increasingly clear.
First, a shared understanding of risk has been fundamental. Bringing governments, development partners, and the insurance industry together around a common evidence base has allowed us to design solutions that are credible, technically sound, and responsive to local priorities.
Second, trusted partnerships have been essential. Public–private collaboration only works when there is mutual respect, clarity of roles, and the recognition that each actor brings a different form of value – whether that is political authority, development expertise, or technical innovation. The IDF has become effective precisely because we have invested in building those relationships over time.
Third, the ability to mobilise operational capacity and true experts has enabled us to move beyond conceptual discussion. The Forum’s workstreams – whether focused on sovereign risk financing, humanitarian solutions, or inclusive insurance – have created structured spaces where experts can co-design programmes and rapidly translate ideas into action on the ground.
But this journey has not been without its challenges. Aligning public and private incentives can be complex. Government timelines, development mandates, and market dynamics do not always move in sync. We also face wider systemic barriers – from data gaps to regulatory constraints – that can slow implementation. And of course, working in highly vulnerable contexts means that capacity, resources, and institutional stability can vary significantly.
Yet, it is precisely in navigating these challenges that the IDF’s value has been most evident. Each time we have worked through difficult coordination issues, or bridged technical and policy perspectives, we have strengthened the foundations for long-term resilience and we have allowed for learning to occur. Today, the IDF is demonstrating that public–private collaboration is not an abstract aspiration but a practical pathway to protecting lives, livelihoods, and national economies, and is more relevant than ever.
Ultimately, the shift from idea to implementation has been possible because of a sustained commitment – from all our members and partners – to stay engaged, aligned, and focused on impact. From global leaders to working teams, this is what continues to turn ambition into tangible outcomes for the countries and communities that need them most.
A global community of purpose
The IDF brings together insurers, governments, development agencies and banks, academia and civil society. How has the Forum maintained coherence and trust across such a diverse partnership, and what have you learned about leading through this kind of collaboration?
One of the defining features of the Insurance Development Forum is the diversity of the community it represents. We bring together insurers, governments, development agencies, development banks, humanitarian actors, academic institutions and NGOs – each with its own mandate, incentives, and operational culture. Maintaining coherence and trust within such a broad ecosystem has required intentional leadership and a continuous commitment to shared purpose.
First, we have always placed clarity of purpose at the centre of our collaboration. From inception, the IDF made it clear that our collective mission is to strengthen resilience for vulnerable countries and communities by harnessing the expertise of the insurance sector. That shared anchor has allowed us to navigate differences of perspective without losing sight of the bigger picture.
Second, we have built trust through transparency and consistency. Whether we are engaging with a finance ministry, a development bank, or a private insurer, we work hard to ensure that expectations are clear, decision-making processes are open, and commitments are followed through. Trust accumulates over time, and the IDF’s credibility has grown because partners know that we operate with integrity.
Third, we have embraced the reality that diversity is an asset, not an obstacle. Our strength lies in combining the technical capabilities of the global insurance industry with the policy insight of governments, the convening power of international institutions, and the research capacity of academia. Rather than forcing uniformity, we focus on alignment – creating structured spaces where different actors can contribute uniquely to a common outcome.
Leading this kind of collaboration has reinforced several lessons for me personally. The first is the importance of listening deeply – taking time to understand priorities, constraints, and incentives across institutions, and finding the intersections where collective action becomes possible. The second is the value of patience and persistence. Transformational initiatives rarely move in straight lines; progress requires sustained engagement even when timelines stretch or circumstances change. And the third is recognising that leadership in a multi-stakeholder environment is less about directing and more about curating partnerships, enabling others to bring their strengths to the table.
Ultimately, what binds the IDF community together is a shared belief that we can – and must – do more to protect societies from the growing risks they face. That sense of common purpose and alignment with private and public interests has allowed us not only to maintain coherence, but to build a global coalition of what we call “change agents”, capable of delivering impact at scale.
Future Ready Nations
The IDF’s work increasingly connects to building future ready nations. What does this concept mean to you, and how does the IDF’s agenda need to evolve to make that vision a reality?
When we refer to future ready nations, we are ultimately talking about societies that can understand, anticipate, and adapt to risk in a world where uncertainty is increasing. For me, this concept goes beyond disaster response or climate adaptation – it is about embedding resilience into the core of economic planning, social protection, and national development strategies. A future ready nation understands its risk landscape, invests in systems that reduce exposure and vulnerability, and has the financial architecture in place to recover quickly when shocks do occur.
The Insurance Development Forum has a critical role to play in supporting this transformation. Over the past decade, we have demonstrated the value of risk analytics, risk reduction, risk financing, and insurance as essential components of resilience. But to truly enable future readiness, our agenda must continue to evolve.
First, we need to deepen country ownership and long-term capacity. Future readiness cannot be delivered from the outside. It requires national institutions that can use risk data, design risk financing strategies, and regulate markets effectively. Strengthening these capabilities will remain central to our work.
Second, we must bring risk-informed decision-making into mainstream development planning. That means ensuring that ministries of finance, agriculture, health and others responsible for infrastructure and social protection all have access to the tools and insights the insurance sector provides. Understanding and managing risk needs to be seen not as a technical specialty, but as a foundation for fiscal stability, sustainable development and growth.
Third, we must focus on scaling solutions. Many of our initiatives – from open risk modelling to sovereign risk financing programmes – have shown what is possible. The next decade must be about achieving impact at scale, reaching more countries, more broadly and protecting more people especially those most exposed to climate and disaster risks.
Finally, building future ready nations will require stronger integration across systems – linking insurance with early warning systems, social protection schemes, climate adaptation investments, and humanitarian action. The IDF can serve as connective tissue across these different communities, ensuring that risk management becomes cohesive rather than fragmented.
In essence, future readiness is not a destination but a continuous process. It demands vision, investment, and partnership. It is not a passive stance. The IDF’s evolution will be shaped by our ability to anticipate emerging risks, harness innovation, and work hand-in-hand with countries to create resilience that is lasting and inclusive. That is how we turn the idea of future ready nations into a lived reality for millions of people around the world.
The next frontier
As the IDF looks to its second decade, where do you see the biggest opportunities for innovation, whether in data, finance, technology, or governance, to deepen resilience and protection globally?
As the Insurance Development Forum enters its next decade, we stand at the intersection of risk and opportunity. The frequency, intensity, scale and complexity of natural disaster risks are rising, but so too are the opportunities to change and innovate in ways that could fundamentally reshape how societies understand, manage, and finance risk. For me, the next frontier lies in harnessing advances across data systems, finance, technology, and governance to deepen protection and resilience for those who need it most.
First, data and risk analytics remain one of the greatest transformative opportunities. The emergence of open risk modelling platforms and new geospatial technologies, means we can now generate more granular risk insights than ever before. The next frontier is ensuring that this data is not only technically robust but also usable – integrated into government systems, financing decisions, and community-level planning. Democratising access to risk information will be essential to empowering countries and citizens to lead their own resilience agendas.
Second, there is immense potential in innovative financial architectures. Parametric insurance, public–private risk pools, and blended finance models have shown what is possible, but we are only in the early stages of much needed change and innovation. The next decade will require collaboration and structures that link risk management to climate adaptation, infrastructure development, and social protection systems; creating financial pathways that enable risk reduction, accelerate recovery and reduce long-term vulnerability. Change, collaboration and innovation in this space could unlock resilience at a scale we have not yet achieved.
Third, advances in technology – from AI-enabled risk mapping to digital tools that extend insurance access – offer the possibility of reaching communities historically excluded from formal protection systems. Technology can help us close the gap between global capabilities and local realities, ensuring that solutions are accessible, affordable, and contextually relevant.
Finally, none of this is possible without new forms of governance and partnership. Building resilience is increasingly a whole-of-government and whole-of-society effort. The next frontier will require governance structures that can coordinate across citizens and ministries, mobilise public and private investment, and embed risk considerations into fiscal policy, infrastructure planning, and national development strategies. The IDF can play an even stronger role as a platform that connects across these systems and guides collaborative implementation geared toward building the new systems that are required.
In many ways, the opportunities ahead are bigger than those we confronted in our first decade. Entrepreneurial boldness will be required to experiment, courage to challenge old assumptions, and the right technical acumen to design solutions that reflect the realities of a rapidly changing risk landscape. If we embrace these opportunities the next decade can be transformational – not only for the insurance and development communities, but for the millions of people whose resilience and security depend on our collective action.
Personal reflection
Having led the IDF Secretariat from its inception in 2018, what has been most meaningful for you personally on this journey, and what gives you the most optimism about the decade ahead?
Leading the Insurance Development Forum Secretariat from its creation has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my professional life. What has stayed with me most deeply is not any single milestone, but the commitment of the people in our community and the collective willingness of so many partners – across the private and the public sector – to work together on a challenge that none of us can tackle alone. Witnessing that shared commitment translates into real outcomes on the ground has been both humbling and inspiring.
I have been especially touched by the moments where our work has connected directly with countries and communities. Sitting with government counterparts as they design their first sovereign risk financing strategy, or hearing from local partners who now have tools and protection they never had before and when these programmes deliver – those are the moments that remind me why this work is important. They make the complexity, the negotiation, and the patience required for collaboration worthwhile.
I have also been privileged and incredibly fortunate to work with great leaders and colleagues over the years, from whom I have learned so much and who have helped me to foster the kind of institutional culture, accountability and care required for such collective endeavours. Frankly, a masterclass in leadership that only lived experiences can deliver.
What gives me the greatest optimism about the decade ahead is the strength of the community we have built. The challenges we face – climate change, economic volatility, growing inequality – are formidable, but so too is the capability, creativity, and determination within the IDF. I see a generation of leaders – from across the public and private sector – who are no longer debating whether resilience and risk management are essential, but focusing instead on how to build systems that deliver them at scale. This coupled with a cadre of exceptionally dynamic, innovative and intellectually outstanding younger professionals who want to be engaged in the work of the IDF, give me hope that we are on the right track.
I am also encouraged by the accelerating change and innovation we are witnessing – in data, in finance, in technology, and in policy. We now have tools and partnerships that simply did not exist ten years ago. Combined with our shared purpose, they give me confidence that we can achieve things in our next decade that once felt out of reach.
Ultimately, what sustains my optimism is the conviction that we can build a world where people, institutions, and nations are better protected against the risks they face. That belief has also carried the IDF through our first decade, and it will undoubtedly guide us into the next. It has been an incredibly exciting and meaningful space to be able to work in and contribute towards.
