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The Global Earthquake Model (GEM) Foundation has signed landmark agreements with Morocco’s Fonds de Solidarité contre les Événements Catastrophiques (FSEC) and with Atlantic Re, marking the Foundation’s first-ever public and private sector sponsorships from Africa.

The agreement with FSEC was formalised on 27 June during GEM’s Summer Governing Board meeting, held as part of the Foundation’s semesterly governance session. The agreement with Atlantic Re was signed shortly after, on 7 July, when the CEO, Ms. Ouafae Mriouah visited the GEM headquarters in Pavia.

In addition to signing sponsorship agreements, the three parties intend to also establish a tripartite collaboration which would outline plans to jointly develop Morocco’s first openly available national seismic hazard and risk model, in close cooperation with Moroccan scientists, engineers and institutions. The initiative aims to strengthen earthquake risk understanding in Morocco and support the development of science-based resilience strategies.

Established in 2019, FSEC is Morocco’s national solidarity fund mandated to provide compensation to victims of catastrophic events and to promote financial protection through insurance and reinsurance mechanisms. Atlantic Re, formerly known as Société Centrale de Réassurance (SCR), is a leading reinsurer headquartered in Casablanca with operations in more than 70 countries and a strategic focus on expanding its presence across the African continent and the Middle East.

The collaboration reflects a growing recognition in Morocco of the need for robust seismic risk models to support national resilience planning. Situated at the convergence of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates, Morocco is exposed to moderate to high seismic risk, as highlighted by the 2023 Al Haouz earthquake, which caused at least 2900 fatalities.

For FSEC, the partnership represents an increasing commitment to integrating scientific data and modelling into national disaster preparedness and financial protection strategies.

Being part of CDG Groupe, the largest public investment fund in Morocco, Atlantic Re’s engagement complements this effort by bringing the private sector into a shared resilience agenda – one that connects earthquake risk reduction with sustainable insurance solutions.

GEM champions open access to its global data, models and tools, all freely downloadable from its website. Sponsorship, however, enables institutions to engage more deeply through tailored training, advanced models, technical collaboration and participation in global initiatives. Public sponsors also benefit from partnerships with leading research and government institutions worldwide, while private sponsors gain opportunities to collaborate with global experts.

Work on the Moroccan model is expected to begin in the second half of 2025, with a kick-off workshop currently being planned. The collaboration is designed to support long-term knowledge sharing and help reduce disaster risk across the region.

For more information on how to become a GEM public or private sponsor, or to discuss tailored technical cooperation, please get in touch with info@globalquakemodel.org or visit https://www.globalquakemodel.org/get-involved.