- The Asian Development Bank is providing a $250 million loan to assist Papua New Guinea’s COVID-19 response.
- The ADB $250 million loan will support PNG’s plan to provide an economic stimulus package as well as strengthen the country’s health system to combat COVID-19.
- The ADB $250 million loan for PNG’s COVID-19 response will also cover social assistance, food security, and gender equality.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing a $250 million loan to help Papua New Guinea respond to COVID-19.
ADB’s program will help PNG’s government finance and implement its $769 million pandemic response plan that includes an economic stimulus package. The program will also support the building of temporary isolation facilities for COVID-19 patients and training of frontline health workers.
Social assistance and food security will also be extended to vulnerable groups, particularly those affected by income and job losses. The program will cover gender equality too by ensuring women are not disproportionately affected from the pandemic. That includes measures to protect women’s health, including funding for maternal health care services.
The program is funded through the COVID-19 pandemic response option (CPRO) under ADB’s Countercyclical Support Facility. CPRO was established as part of ADB’s $20 billion expanded assistance for developing members to respond to COVID-19, announced on 13 April 2020. Visit ADB’s website to learn more about its ongoing response.
Transcript
This is Papua New Guinea.
A country hit by hundreds of cases of COVID-19.
With a loan of $250 million, ADB is helping PNG to cope.
The loan will help boost PNG’s health services with training for health workers and critical medical supplies.
ADB’s support will also help ease the economic impact.
The vulnerable will receive food rations.
Loans and subsidised lending for businesses.
Hygiene measures to keep markets and businesses open.
And seedlings for farmers and rural households.
ADB is committed to the people of PNG and helping to recover from the impact of COVID-19
