Microinsurance Conference 2007

General information

From 13 to 15 November 2007, the Microinsurance Conference 2007 will take place in Mumbai , India . This event is the third international Microinsurance Conference and jointly hosted by the CGAP [Consultative Group to Assist the Poor] Working Group on Microinsurance and the Munich Re Foundation with the support of the IRDA.

There are many challenges in providing microinsurance. Low-income persons are vulnerable to risks, but so far insurance has been accessible only to a few, often through informal or mutual schemes. In most countries, commercial insurers have largely stayed away from the low-income market, mainly because of high costs and small premiums. Yet that is beginning to change, as new cost-effective models are emerging to extend insurance to the poor.

Target audience

About 200 experts from around the world will exchange experiences and discuss the challenges of microinsurance. They include representatives from international organisations, NGOs, development- aid agencies, commercial insurance companies and policymakers.

Structure and goal of the conference

The conference will have plenary panel discussions on key topics addressing an interdisciplinary audience. About twenty parallel working group sessions will deal in depth with different subtopics. Interactive sessions of approximately 90 minutes are the key part of the conference, encouraging the discussion of work in progress and facilitating dialogue in small groups on emerging issues.

Themes

In order to offer participants subjects with current and interesting content, the organisers of the conference are announcing a call for session proposals on the following themes:

1) Regulation, supervision and policy issues, such as:

- Key regulatory framework challenges and barriers to access

- Different regulatory approach models that facilitate access and ensure sustainability (country examples)

- Microinsurance regulation as a tool to meet policy objectives

2) Innovations to improve efficiency and enhance benefits, such as:

- Efforts to lower administrative expenses (including use of technology)

- Market research, consumer education and client satisfaction

- Mutually beneficial partnerships

3) Innovative microinsurance products, such as:

- Microinsurance coverage for agricultural losses

- Successful property insurance policies

- Microinsurance for disasters

4) Group vs. individual products: a comparison of:

- Marketing methods and underwriting standards

- Price and benefits

- The circumstances under which each is most appropriate

- Other advantages and disadvantages

The goal of the conference is to shed light on experience in microinsurance beyond pure academic research. All session proposals will be reviewed by
the conference steering committee. The conference is designed to be an interactive event that focuses on sharing practical experience. Preference
will be given to session proposals that reflect this philosophy. We aim for a balanced workshop programme that avoids overlapping themes.

Submission of proposals

The proposal should be no longer than two pages and contain the following information:

- Title of the proposed session

- Intended audience

- Goals and expected outcome of the session

- Benefit of the specific proposal (e.g. How does it reduce costs? How does it increase access? How does it benefit the poor?)

- Lessons learnt

- Schedule and organisation of the session

- Contact information (names, address, e-mail, affiliations)

- Biography, organisational description and research interest of speakers/authors (please include a description of your experience with microinsurance)

- Name of collaborating organisation (if applicable)

Please indicate to which conference theme your session applies.

Timeline and acceptance

Submission deadline: 15.4.2007

Review period ends: 31.5.2007

Acceptance by: 15.6.2007

Please e-mail the proposals to info@munichre-foundation.org

Speakers of accepted working groups will receive free admission to the conference. There is also a limited budget for economy travel expenses
(not-for-profit organisations only) available upon application. Please indicate in the application if travel expenses need to be covered by the organisers.

Conference Steering Committee

- Mosleh U Ahmed, Microinsurance and Remittance Research Centre, United Kingdom

- Arup Chatterjee, IAIS, Switzerland

- Craig Churchill, ILO, Switzerland

- David Dror, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands

- Véronique Faber, ADA, Luxemburg

- Prem Kunnel, Consultant & Special Officer, IRDA, India

- Jeremy Leach, Finmark Trust, South Africa

- Michael McCord, MicroInsurance Centre, United States

- Sabbir Patel, ICMIF, United Kingdom

- G. Prabhakara, Member, IRDA, India

- Ralf Radermacher, University of Cologne, Germany