RCC Secretary General takes part in UNECE 2025 Regional Forum on Sustainable Development and meets UNECE Executive Secretary in Geneva 

Geneva, Sarajevo - The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) organised a  panel discussion on “Regional Cooperation in Disaster Financial Risk Sharing” on the margins of the 2025 Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (RFSD) for the UNECE region, at the UN Office in Geneva. The event, organised with support of RCC’s participants Greece, Romania, and Türkiye, brought together policymakers, financial sector representatives, and disaster risk management experts to address the urgent need for more robust disaster risk insurance and financial risk-sharing mechanisms in South East Europe (SEE), in the context of the SEE2030 Strategy.

“In a region increasingly vulnerable to the devastating effects of natural disasters, financial risk-sharing is no longer a luxury - it is a necessity. Regional cooperation is key to building financial resilience to disasters. Pooling resources and sharing risk across borders can reduce the burden on economies and ensure faster, more effective responses to natural hazards and climate-related shocks. With less than 12% of Western Balkan households covered by disaster insurance, and with economic losses soaring into the billions, we cannot afford to rely solely on post-disaster government compensation schemes. Through the newly established SEE Regional Network on Disaster Risk Insurance and Risk Sharing, we are taking a bold, collective step towards resilience - creating a platform where governments, regulators, and the insurance sector work together to ensure that disaster insurance becomes accessible, affordable, and effective for all,” said Amer Kapetanovic, RCC Secretary General.

The RCC recently established the South East European Regional Network on Disaster Risk Insurance and Risk Sharing, a collaborative platform comprising of regulatory authorities and associations from 13 SEE economies. The Network aims to bridge the significant gap in disaster insurance coverage across the region by facilitating policy dialogue, sharing expertise, and promoting concrete joint initiatives to enhance human security and resilience.

While in Geneva, RCC Secretary General Kapetanovic also took part in the UNECE 2025 Regional Forum on Sustainable Development and met with Ms. Tatiana Molcean, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). The two officials discussed the importance of strengthening resilience, economic sustainability, and regional cooperation across South East Europe and the Western Balkans to advance the progress in reaching Sustainable Development Goals in the region.

Later in the day, RCC Deputy Secretary General Arslan Umut Ergezer is to take part in the roundtable on regional priorities for more diversified and resilient financing for sustainable development where he will talk about the sustainable insurance, insurance schemes and disaster risk insurance. 

#RiskLessSEE

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The South East Europe 2030 (SEE2030) Strategy is a regionally owned, forward-looking strategy of all 13 South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) participants to accelerate the implementation of UN Sustainable Development Goals across the focus areas of Prosperity, People, and Peace and Partnerships. Adopted at the highest political level in 2021, the Strategy outlines a shared vision for sustainable economic growth, greater social inclusion, digital and green transition, and enhanced regional resilience. Guided by the principles of inclusivity and alignment with EU priorities, SEE2030 aims to leave no one behind while advancing the region’s Euro-Atlantic integration and strengthening its ability to respond to global challenges. More info https://www.rcc.int/see2030/