Asian Development Bank Media Release
2 April 2020
ADB ANNOUNCES $1.53 MILLION IN GRANTS TO
HELP PACIFIC COMBAT COVID-19
MANILA, PHILIPPINES (1 April 2020) -
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) yesterday announced $1.53 million
in grants from its Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund to help
finance the response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Marshall Islands,
Nauru, and Tuvalu.
The countries will receive the following
grant amounts, which will enable them to kickstart their disaster
response plans: $470,000 for FSM; $370,000 for the Marshall
Islands; $320,000 for Nauru; and $370,000 for
Tuvalu.
A state of emergency was declared in each
of these countries-on 7 February in the Marshall Islands, on 14
March in FSM, on 16 March in Nauru, and on 20 March in Tuvalu. The
scale of the emergency declared in each country is beyond the
capacity of each government and health sector to meet the immediate
expenses needed for adequate public health
services.
"ADB will leverage off the good working
relationships with the Ministries of Health and development
partners in these countries to help address their immediate needs
and coordinate the emergency response," said ADB Health Specialist
for the Pacific Ki Fung Kelvin Lam. "ADB will ensure these grants
are swiftly disbursed to allow each country to respond as quickly
as possible to their emergency situations."
ADB's support will help alleviate the
immediate financial, logistical, and other constraints to meet each
country's immediate response needs and deliver appropriate medical
services where required. Recognizing the unpredictable nature of
the situation and complementing the donations of supplies by other
partners, flexibility is required in the design of any support,
along with close coordination with supporting partners,
including the Government of Australia, the World Health
Organization, UNICEF, and the United States Center for Disease
Control and Prevention.
The $1.53 million in grants is separate
from the $6.5 billion aid package for Asia and the Pacific that ADB
announced on 18 March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. ADB is
engaging in discussions with all its developing member countries,
including those in the Pacific, on how best to utilize this
funding. Visit ADB's website to learn more about our
ongoing response.
ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous,
inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while
sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in
1966, it is owned by 68 members-49 from the
region.
ENDS////
Contact: Asian Development
Bank, Tel +61 2 8270-9444, www.adb.org
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