LocationsIncreasing financial protection for the most vulnerable
Insuring the future
March 31, 2026
In Nepal, UNDP and its partners are replacing buffalo ear tags with AI-embedded muzzle verification. Like a fingerprint, muzzles are unique to each animal.
Photo: UNDP Nepal
UNDP and its partners are rolling out the world’s largest Insurance Innovation programme aimed at protecting low-income households, small businesses, farmers and vulnerable communities from financial risk.
Backed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and development (BMZ), the International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation (ICMIF) and Generali, one of the world's largest insurance companies, UNDP is developing more than 40 insurance products to increase financial protection where it is most needed--from tackling the cultural nuances of tagging buffalo in Nepal, to the world’s first jaguar-protection insurance in Argentina.
It has so far reached more than 280,000 people worldwide.
Here are a few of their stories.
Keeping Nepalese buffalo ritually pure
Harka Bahadur Saud is a buffalo farmer in Achham, western Nepal. Extreme heat, floods and drought as well as parasites and infectious diseases pose serious threats to his animals’ survival. And as Achham is close to a national park, attacks by leopards, bears and wild boars are also real risks.
Yet farmers are often reluctant to insure their animals through traditional avenues because they have to be tagged, and are thus seen as ritually impure and cannot be used for festivals. Harka signed up for a pilot programme developed by Insurance Innovation Programme winners PlantSat and United Ajod Insurance Limited, which is using Artificial intelligence (AI) to replace ear tags with an AI-embedded muzzle verification. Like a fingerprint, muzzles are unique to each animal. Timestamps and geolocation improve accuracy and eliminate fraud by pinpointing specific animals.
Supporting Viet Nam's rural women
Since losing her husband, Bà Trán Thị Lý has been solely responsible for caring for her elderly in-laws and children. When she broke her wrist her family’s situation might have become even more precarious.
For vulnerable households like Ms Lý’s, a financial shock can mean sliding deeper into poverty. Thanks to Bao Viet Insurance Corporation’s microinsurance solution, supported by the Insurance Innovation programme, Ms Lý and her family could afford the protection to tide them over until she was able to work again.
“When I first heard about the women’s insurance programme offering accident coverage, I was very happy because the cost was affordable,” she says.
Thanks to Bao Viet Insurance Corporation’s microinsurance, supported by the Insurance Innovation programme, small business owners can afford the protection to tide them over when times are hard.
Photo: UNDP Viet Nam
Boosting food security in Ghana
Dora Anterkyi became a farmer right out of university, because she wanted to make real impact in her community. She grows maize and keeps pigs and poultry.
Smallholder farmers in Ghana are vital to the nation’s food security, yet they face the formidable challenges in the face of climate change and only a tiny percentage of young people are entering the profession. The Insurance Innovation programme is supporting Agricom Assurance, which is tailored to the realities of smallholders, offering comprehensive coverage against climate shocks, pests and disease. The programme operates in several local dialects, ensuring accessibility for farmers with diverse literacy levels and cultural backgrounds.
It also supports Dora’s clear mission; “to prove that farming is not just for men alone.”
In Argentina, a lifeline for a species
Diego farms sheep on the Argentina border between Brazil and Paraguay.
Farmers in the region live alongside the endangered 'yaguareté—or jaguar—which occasionally attacks livestock, and retaliatory hunting has become one of the leading causes of jaguar deaths.
In what is not just a financial tool, but a lifeline for a species, UNDP supports the world’s first jaguar insurance which is designed to turn conflict into coexistence. The farmer receives quick financial compensation. The insurance, developed by Río Uruguay Seguros, is free, funded by the Government of Misiones, with no deductible.
“As a producer, and I believe I speak for most ranchers in the area, it’s reassuring that steps are being taken to keep the problem away from our livestock,” Diego says.
Photos: UNDP Argentina/ Emilio White
Protection for shop owners in Colombia
Pedro Herrera has been a small shop owner for 14 years. Like many others in Colombia he faces challenges getting financing to grow his business and to maintain working capital. Many in his position resort to informal financing to stay afloat.
Sencillo (Simple), developed by Colmena Seguros, Entre Amigos and Bemovil offers a revolving credit line and is bundled with theft and damage insurance, as well as financial and savings education. Veci Ágil (Agile Neighbour), which is led by Seguros Bolívar, Daviplata and Fenalco, is a revolving loan disbursed directly to suppliers, alongside insurance to protect shop owners from severe climate risks.
Pedro is grateful for the support to continue more securely in a job he has always loved, “I felt happy, I felt glad,” he said of the early days of his business. “And that’s how it’s been for years now.”
Photos: UNDP Colombia
Powering boda boda riders in Tanzania
Emanuely Nkuwi Omary one of more than two million boda boda riders in Tanzania. He performs a vital job carrying passengers and delivering goods. Boda boda riders face daily risks, yet nearly 98 percent don’t have health insurance.
UNDP launched the Insurance Innovation programme in Tanzania to help provide financial protection for independent business owners like Emanuely. It is supporting Twende Bima, which works directly with communities to create risk models and build financial resilience.
Emanuely was involved in a road crash which required a hospital stay and without Twende Bima it could have cost him in medical care and loss of income.
Emanuely says that Twende Bima; “works well with the nature of my business, which is informal and does not depend on a regular income. I am guaranteed insurance whenever I face challenges–not only for me, but also for my family.”
UNDP launched the Insurance Innovation programme in Tanzania to help provide financial protection for independent business owners like Emanuely Nkuwi Omary.
Photo: UNDP Tanzania
Supporting smallholder farmers in Senegal
Philomène Ndour is a smallholder farmer in Senegal, where agriculture is both a livelihood and a way of life. Like many farmers in her community, she depends on seasonal rains to grow her crops and sustain her family. But increasingly unpredictable weather—especially drought—puts her harvests and income at risk.
Through the Insurance Innovation programme, Philomène has an index-based agricultural insurance developed by the National Agricultural Insurance Company of Senegal. When rainfall falls below critical levels, payouts can reach farmers rapidly without the need for a claims assessment.
Since signing up for the product, Philomène has received compensation several times.
“When you hope for a good harvest, but the rains don't come, the compensation becomes a real support: it allows you to buy food for the family, but also feed for the animals,” she says.
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