The Minister of Finance of Tajikistan Faiziddin Qahhorzoda and the World Bank Country Manager for Tajikistan Jan-Peter Olters have signed an agreement on additional financing for Tajikistan’s emergency COVID-19 response, according to the Ministry of Finance (MoF) Secretariat.
Under the agreement that was signed in Dushanbe on May 21, the World Bank will give US$21.3 million in grant aid to Tajikistan.
These additional resources will be used to strengthen, in particular to buy coronavirus vaccines, personal protection equipment and test, as well as to support the immunization system and training of vaccination personnel, the MoF Secretariat says.
Besides, these funds will be sent to purchase vaccines against other seasonal infectious diseases.
A part of the allocated funding will be utilized to provide one-time assistance to low-income families with young children and children with disabilities.
Recall, the original Tajikistan Emergency COVID-19 Project, with a total financing of $11.3 million, was approved in April 2020 to support Tajikistan’s response to COVID-19.
In February this year, in addition to $8.63 million approved for COVID-19 vaccines, the World Bank provided another $12.57 million in grant financing for the Tajikistan Emergency COVID-19 Project, to further strengthen Tajikistan’s heath care capacity and protect vulnerable population groups in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Currently, the World Bank is financing 21 projects in Tajikistan totaling at $1.1 billion. Since 1996, the World Bank has provided over $2 billion in IDA grants, highly concessional credits, and trust funds for Tajikistan.
