$2m WB grant to combat bird flu
Bangladesh will receive $ 2 million in grant from the World Bank's Avian and Human Influenza Facility (AHIF) to support the country's efforts to minimise the risk of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
An agreement between the government and the International Development Association (IDA) was signed here yesterday for the grant assistance.
Secretary of the Economic Relations Division M Aminul Islam Bhuiyan and World Bank Country Director Xian Zhu signed the agreement.
The AHIF is a multi-donor grant-making mechanism, administered by the World Bank.
On July 16, the AHIF awarded a $ 2 million grant to the government of Bangladesh for the Avian Influenza Preparedness and Response Project.
This was followed by an IDA credit agreement worth $ 16 million signed also with the government on July 26.
AHIF is supported by the European Commission and eight other donor countries that include the United Kingdom, Australia, the Russian Federation, China, the Republic of Korea, Iceland, Slovenia and Estonia.
The purpose of AHIF is to minimise the risk and socio-economic impact of avian influenza and such other afflictions and of possible human pandemic influenza in developing countries lacking adequate domestic resources and capacity to prepare for and combat any onset of the disease.
"Specifically, it is designed to fill those financing needs and gaps that remain unmet from any loan, credit and grant assistance being made available from other sources," says a WB statement.
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