The World Bank sets goals for granting Iraq 100 million dollars and praises the vaccination campaign

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09/29/2021

Economy News - Baghdad

The World Bank set the goals of granting Iraq $100 million, while praising the vaccination campaign launched by the Iraqi Ministry of Health last March.

The bank said in a statement seen by "Al-Iqtisad News", that "the project will support vaccination against the Corona virus in Iraq by granting the vaccine to priority groups among the population and strengthening the institutional system to enable the safe and effective deployment of vaccines on the widest scale."

He added, "This project aims to assist the country not only in purchasing coronavirus vaccines, but also in improving its ability to manage waste resulting from health care activities, and implement communication and awareness efforts to raise public awareness of the importance of receiving the vaccine."

The Bank confirmed that "the project builds on the current support provided by the World Bank and other development partners to the Iraqi government in support of its efforts to respond to the Corona pandemic, within the framework of the Iraq Reform, Recovery and Reconstruction Fund (I3RF) and the Emergency Operation Project for Development."

And he indicated that "Iraq launched the vaccination campaign against the Corona virus in March 2021, as it was able to rapidly increase the vaccination coverage during the past month, and more than 7 million doses of vaccine were given, about 11% of the population received the first dose, in addition to immunizing 7% of the entire population with two doses." ".

And he indicated that "a comprehensive and well-coordinated vaccination campaign is an essential element for future recovery from the health and economic effects of the Corona pandemic," noting that "the project will play a critical role in enabling equal and affordable access to Corona vaccines in Iraq, as well as expanding the coverage umbrella to include 3 Millions of Iraqi citizens.

“There is a need to facilitate access to vaccines to reduce the spread of the pandemic and reduce the burden on the already weak health system in Iraq, and this project will support Iraq in the procurement and deployment of vaccines necessary to protect lives, and enable The country can safely reopen its doors and begin the economic recovery phase.”

Withdrawing the World Bank statement, this project is subject to the “Strategic Program for COVID-19 Preparedness and Response (SPRP)” using the Multi-Phase Program Approach (MPA) approved by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors in April 2020; Additional funding for that program was approved in October 2020, and the project also includes a grant from the Iraq Reform, Recovery and Reconstruction Fund (I3RF).

It is worth noting that the Iraq Reform, Recovery and Reconstruction Fund was established in partnership with the Government of Iraq in 2018, with co-financing by Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada and Sweden.

This fund provides a program of financing and strategic dialogue for reconstruction and development in the country, with a focus on targeted national reforms and public and private investments to achieve social and economic recovery and reconstruction.

The fund also works to be a strategic platform for coordinating efforts related to development and dialogue, and aims to stand behind the climate change agenda adopted by the country, as well as to support gender equality, achieve social peace and community participation by citizens.

Such financing from the World Bank would complement the activities of other development partners, as well as fill critical financing gaps to ensure the successful distribution of vaccines.

The World Bank is committed to continuing to support Iraq in its efforts to respond to the Corona pandemic and improve the resilience of its health system to future shocks.

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