WASHINGTON, March 7, 2022—The World Bank Board of Executive Directors today approved a supplemental budget support package for Ukraine, called Financing of Recovery from Economic Emergency in Ukraine – or FREE Ukraine – for $489 million. The package approved by the Board consists of a supplemental loan for $350 million and guarantees in the amount of $139 million and is also mobilizing grant financing of $134 million and parallel financing of $100 million, resulting in total mobilized support of $723 million. The fast-disbursing support will help the government provide critical services to Ukrainian people, including wages for hospital workers, pensions for the elderly, and social programs for the vulnerable.
Tag Archives: World Bank
World Bank Group Stands with Ukraine and its People
Prepares to support countries in the region affected by the conflict 
WASHINGTON, Feb. 24, 2022—David Malpass, President of the World Bank Group, today released the following statement:
“The World Bank Group is horrified by the shocking violence and loss of life as a result of the events unfolding in Ukraine. We are a long-standing partner of Ukraine and stand with its people at this critical moment.
Today, I discussed the situation with our Board of Directors and have mobilized our Global Crisis Risk Platform to accelerate coordination across the World Bank Group.
The devastating developments in Ukraine will have far-reaching economic and social impacts. We are coordinating closely with the IMF to assess these costs.
When I met with President Zelenskyy in Munich on Saturday, I reaffirmed the World Bank Group’s strong support and commitment to the people of Ukraine and the region.
We stand ready to provide immediate support to Ukraine and are preparing options for such support, including fast-disbursing financing. Alongside development partners, the World Bank Group will use all our financing and technical support tools for rapid response.
The World Bank Group is also in active dialogue to support neighboring countries and people that may be affected by this conflict and will make additional resources available.”
Prepares to support countries in the region affected by the conflict
WASHINGTON, Feb. 24, 2022—David Malpass, President of the World Bank Group, today released the following statement:
“The World Bank Group is horrified by the shocking violence and loss of life as a result of the events unfolding in Ukraine. We are a long-standing partner of Ukraine and stand with its people at this critical moment.
Today, I discussed the situation with our Board of Directors and have mobilized our Global Crisis Risk Platform to accelerate coordination across the World Bank Group.
The devastating developments in Ukraine will have far-reaching economic and social impacts. We are coordinating closely with the IMF to assess these costs.
When I met with President Zelenskyy in Munich on Saturday, I reaffirmed the World Bank Group’s strong support and commitment to the people of Ukraine and the region.
We stand ready to provide immediate support to Ukraine and are preparing options for such support, including fast-disbursing financing. Alongside development partners, the World Bank Group will use all our financing and technical support tools for rapid response.
The World Bank Group is also in active dialogue to support neighboring countries and people that may be affected by this conflict and will make additional resources available.”
An Accessible Future for Persons with Disabilities
120 kilometers south of Kigali, in a remote part of Southern Rwanda’s Huye District,
lies the G.S. Kabuga school.
Warm sunshine—with the occasional drizzle of rain—greets students as they trickle into class on a Monday morning. Led by their class prefect and teacher, the kids assume their seats inside a spacious classroom with two large blackboards on opposing flanks. One learner, a wheelchair user, rolls up alongside a bench and shuffles in alongside a classmate.
“Children with disabilities are just like other children,” remarks Brother Jovite Sindayigaya, headmaster at the school. “The country needs them and so does the world in general. I get happiness from seeing them succeed.”
G.S. Kabuga is one of 3,388 schools in Rwanda that have benefitted from reconstruction and refurbishment efforts, funded by the government of Rwanda and the World Bank, with technical assistance provided by the Bank’s Inclusive Education Initiative. In the span of just one year, 22,505 classrooms across all 30 districts of Rwanda were built or refurbished with some accessibility features for learners with disabilities.
Addressing fragility is critical for development
The COVID-19 pandemic and
related shutdowns are challenging the effectiveness of civil and institutional structures around the world and adding to fragility and violence, resulting in interrelated crises for foreign policy, development, and economics.
Three ways to tackle gender data gaps – and 12 countries embracing the challenge
World Bank Strengthening Gender Statistics project is partnering with National Statistical
Offices in twelve IDA-19 countries to support the production of gender data in the economic domain.
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What You Need to Know About Oceans and Climate Change
and what kind of impact is climate change having? We sat down with Charlotte De Fontaubert, Global Lead for the Blue Economy at the World Bank, to learn about the state of our oceans and what the World Bank is doing to help keep them healthy and productive.The Fragility Forum 2022 is committed to peace and development in the midst of new and intensifying crisis
Over the last two years the world has been on edge, with serious implications for the most
fragile economies.
Fragility and conflict risks are also on the rise in middle-income countries. Our most recent economic forecast indicates that, by 2023, the output of fragile and conflict-affected countries will be 7.5 percent below pre-pandemic levels. This is well below prospects in emerging and developing countries at large. For the most vulnerable, this means food insecurity, extreme poverty, loss of human capital and fewer economic opportunities in addition to the threat of violence and forced displacement.
Five threats to equitable and inclusive recovery from COVID-19: Evidence from East Asia and Pacific
Nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Bank’s High-Frequency Phone
Surveys (HFPS) in the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) Region show that poorer households have been disproportionately affected and have been slower to recover. Findings from the HFPS reported in the recent EAP Economic Update and a new regional study show that inequality has likely been exacerbated in several dimensions.
Solidarity with the poorest countries: A renewed commitment to recovery
This support will be delivered through the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) over the next three years, starting in July.
Climate change and poverty: the perfect storm
We often hear that climate change disproportionately impacts the poor and the scenarios
are worrisome. For example,
Beneath this alarming headline, we know that climate-related losses will fluctuate across time and geographies. Impacts on people will be as varied and specific as household income sources and consumption patterns.
A few weeks ago, the international community agreed to a record $93 billion financing package for the world’s poorest countries.
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