ADB announces more than $13 million in grants to help Pacific combat COVID-19

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) Thursday announced more than $13 million in grants to help 10 developing members in the Pacific finance their responses to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

The total financing of $13.3 million comes from ADB’s Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund and comprises $1 million for the Cook Islands; $1.5 million for Kiribati; $630,000 for the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI); $1.03 million for the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM); $1 million for Palau; $3 million for Papua New Guinea; $1.5 million for Samoa; $1.5 million for Solomon Islands; $630,000 for Tuvalu; and $1.5 million for Vanuatu.

“We are working closely with the Ministries of Health in these countries to help them address their immediate public health needs and meet the challenges brought by this pandemic,” said ADB Director General for the Pacific Leah Gutierrez.

“Although most countries remain free of COVID-19 to date, substantial preparatory work is still needed, and we will ensure these grants are disbursed as quickly as possible.”

The Government of Japan provided additional financing of $75 million to the Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund to help developing member countries strengthen their capacity to contain the spread of COVID-19.

This is the latest round of emergency grants for the Pacific from ADB’s Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund. In April, ADB provided $2 million from the fund to help FSM, RMI, Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu respond to COVID-19.

 

Photo SPC