Glossary

Sovereign insurance

Sovereign insurance is insurance coverage purchased by a national government to protect its budget against the financial impacts of disasters. Under these arrangements, the government pays a premium and receives a payout when a predefined disaster trigger is met

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This working paper presents a framework that compares contingent loans, grants from multilateral development banks, catastrophe bonds, and insurance provided through regional risk pools.

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other key terms

Attachment point

The loss level above which a reinsurer begins paying under a reinsurance agreement.

Disaster risk management

Policies and actions to reduce disaster risks, manage impacts and strengthen resilience.

Disaster risk financing

Financial arrangements made in advance to pay for disaster prevention, response and recovery.

Covariate shocks

Shocks affecting many households at once where losses are shared across the same community.

Total crisis financing

Development funding focused mainly on crisis prevention, preparedness and response activities.

Shock-responsive social protection

Social protection systems adapted to scale quickly when large shocks affect many people.