Amman, Sept. 15 (Petra) -- A two-day participatory workshop on Jordan's National Disaster Risk Financing Strategy opened in Amman on Tuesday, organized by the U.N. Development Program's (UNDP) Insurance and Risk Financing Facility in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Agricultural Risk Management Fund.

Representatives from the public and private sectors and development partners are taking part in the workshop, which aims to review and refine the strategy's current draft, identify priority interventions, and determine funding mechanisms and institutional arrangements.

The strategy is as a comprehensive framework for managing and financing disaster-related risks in a coordinated, sustainable way, strengthening the Kingdom's ability to prepare for climate shocks and protect the most vulnerable groups.

Director of the Agricultural Risk Management Fund, Khaled Talafyh, said the agricultural sector faces mounting climate risks from drought, floods, frost and extreme heat that directly affect the incomes of tens of thousands of families.

He noted the sector accounts for 23.5% of the overall economy through its linkages with other industries, and that completing the strategy would strengthen the Agricultural Risk Management Fund, established in 2009, and the 2025 Agricultural Risk Mitigation Solidarity Law.

He added that the effort aligns with the Economic Modernization Vision and the National Strategy for Sustainable Agriculture.

UNDP Jordan Deputy Resident Representative Majida Alassaf said the strategy marks a shift from post-shock financial response to proactive planning, built on a tiered approach combining budget-based risk retention, emergency financing tools and risk-transfer mechanisms linked to insurance markets.

She stressed the importance of expanding agricultural insurance coverage and adopting innovative tools such as index-based insurance to protect small farmers and small enterprises.

//Petra// NQ