WFP Pacific Head of Program, Philippe Martins

274 Fijians are currently receiving assistance under a pilot joint climate risk insurance project.

The initiative was made between the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation.

WFP Pacific Head of Program, Philippe Martins says the assistance, which began last November, will run for a year.

“It’s the first time in the history of the Pacific, social welfare recipients living in high disaster risk locations will receive insurance payout in three to five days following a tropical cyclone.”

Martins says the insurance compensations are based on a certain wind speed being reached that is expected to result in loss to the person insured.

He says the highest recipient counts are beneficiaries under the Social Pension Scheme, followed by Poverty Benefit Scheme, Care and Protection Scheme and the Disability Allowance Scheme.

Martins says the recipients are based in high disaster risk locations in the Western and Central divisions.

The aim of this pilot project is to increase the resilience of those most vulnerable and to financially protect them from cyclonic wind and its effects.

World Food Programme Pacific’s climate risk insurance pilot project is the first of its kind in the Pacific.