The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Tonga signed a $10 million grant agreement to help the country expedite its recovery from disasters and health emergencies, such as the Covid-19 pandemic.
The agreement was signed by Tonga’s Minister of Finance Tiofilusi Tiueti and ADB’s Pacific Subregional Office Regional Director Aaron Batten yesterday.
The grant was approved by ADB on 7 March.
“When disaster strikes, quick disbursing finance is needed to help Tonga rapidly respond to a disaster,” Tiueti said.
“This programme delivers help to Tongan people at a time when they need it most.”
“The programme is helping the government respond and transition from crisis to resilient economic and fiscal recovery, by implementing reforms over four phases, including supporting early recovery from disasters,” Batten said.
The ADB support comes from the fourth phase of the Pacific Disaster Resilience Programme.
Tonga and three other countries are included in the fourth phase of the programme after making strong progress in building the resiliency of their institutions.
Tonga is highly vulnerable to the impacts of natural hazards and health crises.
Photo supplied Caption: Tonga’s Minister of Finance Tiofilusi Tiueti and ADB’s Pacific Subregional Office Regional Director Aaron Batten sign the agreement