ADB allocates $44m to help countries fight COVID-19
The Asian Development Bank has allocated $44 million in technical assistance resources to support its developing member countries in their response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The funds comprise $40 million from ADB’s Technical Assistance Special Fund, $2 million from the People’s Republic of China Poverty Reduction and Regional Cooperation Fund, and $2 million from the Republic of Korea e-Asia and Knowledge Partnership Fund. They will be added to a technical assistance program approved on 25 February 2020, Regional Support to Address the Outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Potential Outbreaks of Other Communicable Diseases.
The funds will be available for all ADB developing member countries in updating and implementing their pandemic response plans, including buying emergency supplies and equipment; assessing health system and economic impacts to improve future resilience; improving regional coordination to prevent, detect, and respond to animal and human disease outbreaks; and developing sovereign and nonsovereign health security projects to build long-lasting systems to address communicable diseases.
