As a global insurer, we see first-hand the impacts natural disasters have on our customers and the communities in which we operate. We know that when disaster strikes, it’s vital that resources can be deployed quickly to support communities, both in the immediate response and to assist in the long-term recovery.
Our Global Disaster Relief and Resilience Partnership with Red Cross and Save the Children has enabled us to reach and support more vulnerable communities than ever. Announced in November 2019, the three-year partnerships are enabling the rapid mobilisation of support for disaster relief activities in response to catastrophic events, and support disaster preparedness and climate resilience initiatives for vulnerable communities around the world. We renewed the partnership for a further three years in October 2022 with an increased funding commitment of AU$1.5 million per organisation over three years. Since its inception, this collaboration has encapsulated impact, engagement, pro bono support and staff fundraising to create an impact-driven, localised approach to disaster response and community resilience.
By redirecting a portion of the funds to climate resilience projects, we’re also supporting efforts of communities to protect themselves from physical risks and potentially mitigate future disaster.
Our partnership vision
QBE, in partnership with Save the Children and Red Cross are working with communities to build their resilience and save lives by improving their capacity to prepare, anticipate, respond and recover from disasters.
Our partnership strategic framework helps us to deliver on our vision and objectives and support local execution of the partnership across our global operations.
Read more about our work in the community through the QBE Foundation in the 2023 Sustainability Report.
Download our impact snapshot on Global Disaster Relief & Climate Resilience Partnership.
Our Partners
"I’m proud to see the partnership between Australian Red Cross and QBE continue to grow.
Our focus has always been on supporting local communities to respond effectively at times of humanitarian crisis, and the past few years of bushfires, floods and extreme weather across Australia has put a significant demand on our services. The partnership with QBE has significantly helped Red Cross National Societies in Australia, Asia Pacific, USA and Europe and for that we are grateful.
Looking to the future, I’m excited to see our partnership explore the way technology can help solve humanitarian problems at scale. Our shared alignment to climate resilience and working closely with the communities we support will no doubt enable us to meet these shared goals.”
–Penny Harrison, Acting CEO of Australian Red Cross
“Climate change impacts us all, but especially those least responsible for it: children. Nearly every child alive today experiences at least one climate-related event annually, ranging from cyclones to heatwaves. For over 1 billion children worldwide - half of the global child population – these events present extreme risk to their health and wellbeing. The outlook for future generations is alarming, with children born in 2020 projected to face 2 to 7 times more extreme weather events than their grandparents did. This situation exacerbates inequalities, especially for those living in poverty, threatening children’s rights to survival, health and education.
Our partnership with QBE goes to the core of this challenge by enhancing the disaster and climate resilience of children and their communities. Together, we aim to equip communities with the tools to prepare for, anticipate, respond to, and recover from disasters, ultimately saving lives and bolstering resilience in the face of climate adversity."
- Mat Tinkler, CEO of Save the Children Australia
Learn more about our disaster relief and resilience partners
Hear more about the work supported through our Disaster Relief and Resilience Partnership
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