As of July, the World Bank committed $7.9 million in COVID-19 treatment and prevention aid to Egypt with the Fast Track Covid-19 Facility project. To find out more about this aid, The Borgen Project has interviewed the World Bank’s team of Egypt correspondents.
Interview With the World Bank’s Team of Correspondents
1. Could you speak more about why Egypt qualifies for the World Bank’s new Fast Track COVID-19 Facility and why the World Bank spurred this initiative?
“In March, the World Bank’s Board of Directors approved a package of fast-track financing to assist countries in their efforts to prevent, detect and respond to the rapid spread of COVID-19. The Bank organized and approved the fast track facility to quickly get resources to countries dealing with a fast-moving, global public health crisis.
As an IBRD* member, Egypt qualified for $50 million funding, the maximum amount available under the Facility based on the criteria of population size.
More information on the World Bank Group’s COVID-19 operational response is available on our website.”
*IBRD, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, consists of countries that are pre-approved for World Bank lending.
2. What organizations in Egypt will receive this funding? Why are these organizations chosen?
“The World Bank’s Egypt office worked closely with our counterparts in the Ministry of Health and Population to design the project, with funds that continue to support:
- procuring and distributing medical equipment and supplies necessary for the COVID-19 response
- health worker training
- operations of specifically designated quarantine, isolation and treatment centers
- mobilization of rapid response teams in contact tracing of COVID-19 cases
- development of contextualized messaging platforms and tools to improve public awareness of COVID prevention
- innovative monitoring and evaluation of social distancing strategies including community mobilization.
After receiving the funds, the Government of Egypt decides which organizations are chosen to execute specific parts of the project, such as the procurement of equipment. As part of the project, the World Bank’s technical experts continue to advise the Government of Egypt on technical issues related to the execution and evaluation of the project.”
3. What strategies does the World Bank use to ensure its funding avoids corrupt hands?
“With all of its operations, the World Bank has zero tolerance for fraud and corruption, and we take very seriously our obligation to ensure that the Bank’s funds are used for clearly defined activities and reach affected communities.
Emergency financing provided by the World Bank is subject to the same high level of safeguards as regular financing, including reporting requirements and oversight requirements. With the COVID-19 Facility, as in all World Bank operations, we have put checks and balances into place to help address fiduciary risks.
Additionally, the World Bank Group’s sanctions system ensures that fraud and corruption impacting WBG-financed activities are addressed efficiently and fairly, and that a strong deterrence message is complemented with a focus on prevention and integrity compliance programs.
More information on the World Bank’s procurement framework can be found on our website.”
– Rory Davis
Photo: Flickr