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Rapidly Responding to an Unprecedented Crisis The World Bank response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe and Central Asia Region

The COVID-19 pandemic has countries around the Europe and Central Asia region battling severe health, social, and economic impacts on an unprecedented scale. Lives and livelihoods have been thrown into upheaval as the pandemic claims lives, overwhelms health systems, and brings economic activity around the globe to a virtual standstill.

Current economic forecasts show the Europe and Central Asia region contracting by as much as 4.7% in 2020, with nearly all countries there expected to enter recession.

Through a combination of new and restructured loans, and policy advice, the World Bank is helping countries respond to these new challenges in record fashion.

Over the last several months, the institution has provided around $1.5 billion to countries around the regionto help them address pandemic-related challenges:

Boosting Health Systems Capacity

Protecting the Poorest and Most Vulnerable

Mitigating Economic & Fiscal Impacts

"As Vice President for Europe and Central Asia, I work very closely with governments in client countries to help them achieve strong development outcomes, but our immediate focus is on addressing the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the short-term, we are providing fast-track financing and policy tools to help protect people’s lives and livelihoods. In the medium-term, we will help countries cushion the economic and fiscal fallout from the crisis through appropriate policy measures and financing."

Kyrgyz Republic

Two projects are now in effect which address the COVID-19 pandemic in the Kyrgyz Republic:

These investments are focusing on the immediate healthcare needs of the country, including the purchase of medical equipment, personal protective equipment, test kits, medicine, ambulances, and other critical supplies.

Four additional projects, focusing on agriculture, urban development, forestry, and water and sanitation are also being restructured to lend economic support to the country’s recovery from the pandemic.

Today, 20 mobile medical teams have been deployed in Bishkek, capital of the Kyrgyz Republic. Each team, which consists of a doctor, a nurse and a driver, moves around the city, responding to calls from the dispatch operator, who registers potential cases of infection with COVID-19. Team members are separated from their families for infectious safety reasons.

"Many doctors were initially infected with the coronavirus because there was no PPE. I was also scared in the beginning. Now, experience has given us a greater understanding of what needs to be done. And with the PPE, I feel safe."

TURKEY

Turkey is utilizing $100 million from a new Emergency COVID-19 Project and $30 million in reallocated funds from the Health System Strengthening and Support Project to support the government to curb the spread of COVID-19 pandemic and strengthen the overall health system to detect and treat cases.

“The funding will strengthen Turkey’s capacity to avert the potentially high health and human cost of the COVID-19 pandemic by reinforcing mitigation and disease management. With the actions supported by this project we hope to contribute to saving lives.”

IN TURKEY:

5,000 ventilators being procured from domestic manufacturers

1,000 beds for "pandemic hospitals" under construction in Istanbul

$400,000 allocated for breathing circuits for ventilators, heat and moisture exchanging filters, and miscellaneous medicine

GEORGIA

The World Bank has allocated $80 million in financial support to Georgia to help the government mitigate and address the health and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This support has been provided under the World Bank’s Fast Track COVID-19 Facility and is financing measures that help prevent, detect and respond to the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and provide immediate social protection support to the most vulnerable. The World Bank has also partnered with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to provide an additional $100 million under a joint co-finance arrangement.

$48 million in temporary income support for the country’s poor and most vulnerable

147,000 COVID-19 Test kits, tripling testing capacity to 3000 samples/day by mid-July

30 Critical Care ventilators being transferred to hospitals around the country

“Through our rapid support, we are helping save lives and protect the livelihoods of those impacted by the pandemic during this challenging time. We estimate that the total World Bank Group financing package for Georgia’s COVID-19 response will be approximately $200 million in new financing, in addition to the approximately $300 million funds in our pipeline for 2020-2021 for projects in support of broader development needs, such as digital connectivity and infrastructure”

Sebastian Molineus, World Bank Regional Director for the South Caucasus

MOLDOVA

The World Bank is supporting Moldova through the €52.9 million Emergency COVID-19 Operation. The project is boosting the health sector’s COVID-19 preparedness and emergency response and providing social protection measures to help the poorest and most vulnerable populations cope with the immediate impacts of the pandemic.

Procurement is underway for equipment, diagnostic supplies for national laboratories, personal protective equipment, infection protection supplies drugs and supplies for intensive care units, and ambulances.

$23.7 million has also been made available for temporary financial support to vulnerable households.

“The World Bank is fast-tracking its support to Moldova and its people to fight the spread of COVID-19 in the country. The funding will strengthen the country’s capacity to detect and monitor the disease and to save lives. It will also make resources available to expand social assistance to the poor and vulnerable.”

TAJIKISTAN

The World Bank Group is helping Tajikistan with its response to the pandemic by providing support through the Tajikistan Emergency COVID-19 Project, an $11.3 million grant financing project funded by the International Development Association.

The project will help establish around 100 new, fully equipped Intensive Care Unit beds in health facilities around the country and will strengthen the country’s capacity to treat individuals infected with COVID-19. Needed supplies to help detect and prevent COVID-19 will also be procured, including testing kits, laboratory reagents, and personal protective equipment for medical personnel.

IN TAJIKISTAN:

$5.3 million has been allocated for 68 ventilators and other medical equipment, as well as personal protective equipment

$3 million in targeted cash transfers is being made available to households with children under 3 years old to ensure adequate nutrition during the pandemic

ROMANIA

Romania moved decisively to prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic even before the first case of the disease was registered in the country, and the World Bank was able to accompany these efforts with matching speed.

Romania was able to utilize resources from its €400 million Catastrophe Deferred Drawdown Option (CAT-DDO) operation, activated in 2018 to strengthen the country’s institutional and legal framework to effectively manage the physical, social and fiscal impacts of health emergencies, natural disasters and climate change.

The Health Sector Reform Program also allowed the country to rapidly increase the procurement of protective and testing equipment and materials in response to the pandemic.

”Unlike most other countries, Romania did not request a new emergency operation, because it had an active contingent financing facility already in place and available for immediate disbursement – the Catastrophe Deferred Drawdown Option (CAT-DDO)”

Even before the pandemic struck, Romania was preparing to respond to such emergencies by procuring:

424 ventilators for ICUs and 204 more for emergency departments around the country

495 beds and 793 monitors for vital signs and infusion pumps

400 anesthesia devices which can be adjusted and used as ventilators for COVID-19

SERBIA

The World Bank is working with Serbia to address the pandemic through the new, $100 million Serbia Emergency COVID-19 Response Project. The project will establish two walk-in and up to ten drive-through testing points for COVID-19 around the country and will boost the testing capacity of the country from 7,000 to at least 9,000 tests a day. With help from the project, Serbia will also strengthen its surveillance system and epidemiological capacity for early detection and confirmation of cases – helping the country strengthen risk assessment and provide on time data and information for guiding decision-making, response, and mitigation activities. Two regional laboratories are also being established to boost the country’s capacity to deal with COVID-19 and other other diseases.

"Serbia’s success in bending the curve of its first wave of COVID-19 shouldn’t lead to complacency in strengthening its preparedness for subsequent waves. Boosting testing capacity, while strengthening capacity to diagnose COVID-19, intensive care units, and the e-reporting system for COVID-19 will give the Government of Serbia the capability to adjust infection control measures on the basis of lessons learned."

Stephen Ndegwa, World Bank Country Manager for Serbia

NORTH MACEDONIA

North Macedonia is using €50 million in contingency financing from the recently approved Local Roads Connectivity Project to support the Government in helping the private sector, which has been impacted by both the measures put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) and by depressed demand locally and internationally.

The contingency financing has already supported nearly 11,000 companies, employing more than 67,000 people through salary subsidies. This support will help maintain employment for as many people as possible during the emergency phase and allow businesses to keep employees on their payroll so that they can resume their operations and help drive economic growth in the recovery period.

“I am pleased that this line of financing will allow firms to keep their employees during the most difficult period of the crisis. This will help support family incomes during this challenging time and will also ensure firms can restart operations quickly and efficiently following the crisis.”

Marco Mantovanelli, World Bank Country Manager for North Macedonia and Kosovo.

UZBEKISTAN

The World Bank Group is supporting the Uzbekistan with $200 million in additional development policy financing to support the country’s ongoing health, social, and economic policy responses to COVID-19 pandemic.

This financing will provide additional money for the government’s budget amidst a large decline in tax revenues and an unanticipated increase in expenditures to cover anti-crisis measures.

“I haven’t had an income for over two months now. This is a very difficult time for my family and many other people whose businesses and well-being suffered as a result of the pandemic. Hopefully, markets will be reopened in June and I will be able to resume trading. Both my wife and I are afraid of contracting the virus, but the fear of poverty and uncertainty is much stronger.”

Alisher, trader in Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Armenia

$3 million is being reallocated from the Disease Prevention and Control Project to support Armenia during the COVID-19 pandemic. These funds are being used to purchase ventilators, specialized ambulances, ultrasound machines, and personal protective equipment to better prepare the country’s health system address the ongoing challenges of the Coronavirus.

The World Bank’s financial and technical support is being coordinated with other international development organizations.

Equipment is being procured directly through the United Nations supply channels, in view of the current constraints for these types of medical emergency equipment in the global market.

"In these dramatic times the Bank stands ready to support Armenia's response to help mitigate the impact of the pandemic. I would like to recognize the unprecedented dedication of health professionals in Armenia to protect the people. I would also like to strongly encourage each citizen of Armenia to strictly abide by the requirements of these emergency times and observe social distancing and isolation measures aimed at minimizing the impact of the pandemic.”

Ukraine

Policymakers in Ukraine began working on a response to the COVID-19 pandemic in April, starting with the restructuring of $22 million from the ongoing Serving People, Improving Health Project to help the government buy materials and equipment essential to responding to the Coronavirus. This money is also being utilized to provide much-needed training for medical personnel, support the communication of essential information, and reimburse health care providers treating COVID-19 patients.

An additional loan of $135 million to support reforms in Ukraine’s health care system was also approved in April. This money will be used to upgrade hospitals and train thousands of doctors in the provision of modern medical services.

A minimum of 242 hospitals and 25 emergency service centers in Ukraine will receive support from these restructuring and additional financing initiatives.

Furthermore, $50 million from the Additional Financing for the Social Safety Nets Modernization Project is being used to ensure social payments during the pandemic are both swifter and more targeted.

Kazakhstan

The World Bank is working with the government of Kazakhstan to restructure the $80 million Social Health Insurance Project in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than $27 million is being reprogrammed to procure ventilators, vibroacoustic kinetic therapy devices, medical monitors, and other critical equipment in the fight against the novel Coronavirus.

The project is designed to improve the accessibility, quality, and efficiency of health service delivery in Kazakhstan, while simultaneously reducing the financial risks to the population caused by serious health problems.

IN KAZAKHSTAN:

More than 700 ventilators are expected to be delivered

87 vibroacoustic kinetic therapy devices procured and delivered to 49 hospitals across 16 of the country’s 17 regions

98 medical monitors and 219 perfusion pumps