The last mile: Delivery mechanisms for post-disaster finance

This paper discusses the opportunity to build government capacity to make use of various new financing instruments, such as reserve funds, contingent lines of credit, and insurance programs, for post-disaster recovery and reconstruction. By preparing contingency plans, defining responsibilities, adopting appropriate regulations and norms, enhancing financial inclusion and insurance regulations, and establishing flexible and gender-inclusive social protection systems, governments could improve the reconstruction process and generate over $173 billion per year in benefits.

There are major synergies between the financial instruments that make the resources available and the systems that deliver these resources where they are needed. In the next few years, the design and implementation of new financial instruments will offer an unprecedented opportunity to improve the last-mile delivery of post-disaster support.