Like Hydra, the many-headed monster of Greek myth, COVID-19 is proving hard to suppress even a year after the first case was confirmed in Wuhan.
But the longer-term impact of COVID on the region will depend less on the virus than on policy decisions and how governments respond.
I would like to provide another update on some of the work underway at the World Bank Group 
to address the COVID-19 pandemic and other significant development challenges.
The pandemic is hitting developing countries hard, and the inequality of that impact is clear. It threatens to push over 100 million people into extreme poverty and is exacerbating inequality throughout the world. The negative impact on health and education may last decades—80 million children are missing out on essential vaccinations and over a billion are out of school.
Deadline: 07-May-2020 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.) 
To inform the Bank in the dialogue and support to governments with critical strategic short-term advice on the immediate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, IPG and PPIAF are establishing this Rapid Response Program. The Program will help provide international best practice insights in the Banks dialogue with client countries regarding options for planning for the medium to long-term impacts on PPP portfolios and ensuring they have access to the latest information and advice on relevant topics.
