Kabul, April 20, 2020 – The World Bank is pleased to announce that on 13 April 2020, US$20 million has been transferred to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan for the emergency response to COVID-19 pandemic, including contracting service providers in all 34 provinces to deploy COVID-19 related services.
This is the first part of a US$100.4 million grant approved by the World Bank on April 2, 2020 for the Afghanistan COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project, that became effective on April 12, 2020.
Additionally, to expedite availability of resources for the Government to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Bank has made available up to US$40 million as retroactive funding to reimburse the Government for eligible expenditures for health services related to COVID-19 pandemic incurred since January 1, 2020. These costs can be reimbursed by the World Bank as soon as the Government provides the list of eligible services and related expenditures.
The Afghanistan COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project was designed in close coordination with the Government, including the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Public Health. Besides the financial assistance, the World Bank together with UNICEF, WHO and other Development Partners will continue providing technical assistance and supply of equipment for the successful implementation of the project as part of the Government’s COVID-19 response. The rapid deployment of the project by the Ministry of Public Health and other relevant government entities will help minimize the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
The World Bank is committed to working closely with the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Finance to protect the people of Afghanistan during these difficult times.
