Beneficiaries share experiences with UN Resident Coordinator through talanoa session

This has become a useful tool for the UN, especially when seeking frank feedback from beneficiaries relating to the implementation of, and effectiveness of projects.

Recently, UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) Pacific facilitated a talanoa session between the UN Resident Coordinator to Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, Sanaka Samarasinha, and over 30 farmers, social welfare beneficiaries, and persons living with disabilities.

Hosted in Suva, the discussions were an important opportunity for Mr Samarasinha to hear their experiences during extreme weather events, as well as their views about climate insurance and the role it has played in helping them get back on their feet in the immediate aftermath.

One of the beneficiaries, Salaseini Koroi, said natural disasters often left them with nothing, including a lack of cash.

“Our crops have been destroyed and we have to run around [to find cash]; there’s financial problems in the family,” she shared.

“We just thought this parametric insurance should have been started a long time ago because we really need financial assistance.”

It is in direct response to the testimonies of people like Mrs Koroi and others, that the UN, through UNCDF Pacific, introduced two new parametric micro-insurance products to the Fiji market last month through its Pacific Insurance and Climate Adaptation Programme (PICAP).

These new products cover heavy wind and rainfall risks and require an affordable premium of F$100 a year for a return payout of F$1,000 in the case of an extreme weather event, to be processed within two weeks of the event.

This ensures those who are most vulnerable among beneficiaries can access cash almost immediately after a disaster – something they have never been able to fall back on before.

Speaking at the talanoa session, Mr Samarasinha said inclusion is central to the work of the UN, and the honest feedback of beneficiaries results in the creation of better, more tailored products and programs which meet their needs.

“As we scale this and we think about those who are most vulnerable, most disadvantaged and most likely to be left behind because of the frequent disasters that we face in Fiji and the rest of the Pacific; disasters that you did not help to create, we need to ensure that when we say we will leave no one behind, we truly don't leave anyone behind,” he said.

“We are aware of the potential for natural disasters to push people into poverty, especially those that must wait weeks or even months for financial assistance to arrive. So, this is the message we’re sharing with farmers, fishers and other target groups: You never know when the next big disaster will strike. These products offer you a solution that gives you a sense of financial security and peace of mind knowing funds will be available should disaster hit,” he concluded.