African Risk Capacity Group

The African Risk Capacity (ARC) is a Specialized Agency of the African Union. It is a groundbreaking extreme weather insurance scheme designed to help AU member states resist and recover from the ravages of drought. As currently structured, the international system for responding to natural disasters is not as timely or equitable as it could be. Funding is secured on a largely ad hoc basis after disaster strikes and only then can relief be mobilized toward the people who need it most. In the meantime, lives are lost, assets are depleted, and development gains suffer major setbacks – forcing more people into chronic destitution and food insecurity in the world’s least developed countries.