Over the past five years, the UNDP-AFCIA Climate Innovation Accelerator, supported by the Adaptation Fund, has backed projects that strengthen community resilience to climate change, improve access to climate financing, and promote inclusive solutions for women, youth, and local communities. Within this framework, MAR Fund stood out for its leadership in the Mesoamerican Reef (MAR) region through its parametric insurance and reef restoration program—positioning the MAR as an international benchmark for climate innovation.
In September, this global effort culminated in the Global Closing Workshop of the Climate Innovation Accelerator, where Claudia Ruiz, Coordinator of MAR Fund’s Reef Rescue Initiative (RRI), represented the organization.
The workshop brought together representatives from 44 organizations participating in the UNDP-AFCIA program. Attendees engaged with investors, exchanged experiences through roundtables and innovation labs, and held discussions on scalability and investment strategies.
As an implementing partner of the UNDP-AFCIA from April 2022 to October 2025, MAR Fund has contributed to the program through the project “The MAR Insurance Programme: Reef Restoration for Resilient Mesoamerican Reef Communities.”
During the Policy Advocacy and Systemic Transformation session, MAR Fund shared its experience working with governments, offering key insights on public policy analysis and identifying strategic entry points to drive systemic change in favor of reef conservation and resilience. Claudia Ruiz joined experts from SPARC (India), Centro Sabiá (Brazil), and Fundación Proiectum Macrillanti (Argentina) in an interactive panel focused on collective learning.
MAR Fund also participated in the thematic session on Nature-based Solutions (NbS), Disaster Risk Reduction, and Recovery, where the parametric insurance program was highlighted, and key criteria for strengthening innovative NbS initiatives were discussed. These sessions created spaces for technical and strategic exchange, helping explore integrated approaches to scaling climate solutions tailored to local contexts and enhancing community resilience.
MAR Fund expresses its sincere gratitude to the UNDP-AFCIA Climate Innovation Accelerator and the Adaptation Fund for their support over the past five years, as well as to all participating organizations for the valuable exchange of knowledge, experiences, and lessons learned. This global collaboration continues to strengthen our collective response to climate change and reinforces our commitment to protecting the Mesoamerican Reef—safeguarding its vital role in the well-being of communities and biodiversity throughout the region.
Photos: Claudia Ruiz
