ADB to provide $5.28mn grant to support COVID-19 response in KPK

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed an agreement with the Government of Pakistan to expand support for the country’s response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province through the National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF).

Under the agreement, the Government of Norway will provide a $5.28 million grant to strengthen the emergency response system in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province amid the coronavirus crisis. The grant is drawn from the unused resources of the Pakistan Earthquake Fund and will be administered by ADB.

“The grant will help provide emergency response services, procure necessary equipment and supplies to poor communities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s remote areas,” said ADB’s Country Director for Pakistan Xiaohong Yang. “This reflects the enduring partnership and commitment of the Norwegian government and ADB to supporting disaster risk reduction in Pakistan.”

Earlier, ADB announced to provide an emergency loan worth $300 million to Pakistan to strengthen public health response to the novel coronavirus disease pandemic and help meet the basic needs of vulnerable and poor segments of society.

In April, ADB reallocated $30 million from the National Disaster Risk Management Project to support Pakistan’s pandemic response and the NDRMF Board of Directors allocated an additional $20 million from earned interest from the Endowment Fund capitalized under the project.