The World Bank Group is investing $300 million to support the global response to the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The investment follows a declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO) that the current Ebola outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
“Together, we must take urgent action to stop the deadly Ebola epidemic that is destroying lives and livelihoods in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” World Bank Chief Executive Officer Kristalina Georgieva said. “The communities and health workers on the front line of this outbreak urgently need more support and resources from the international community to prevent this crisis from worsening inside the country and from spreading across borders.”
The funding will be primarily financed through the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) and its Crisis Response Window, which was established to help countries respond to severe crises. The financing package will enable to enable the Congo government, along with WHO, UNICEF, and other first aid organizations, to bolster their response and contain the spread of this deadly virus.
The $300 million is in addition to the $100 million disbursed by the World Bank and the Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility (PEF) since August 2018. The World Bank has been supporting programs to battle the outbreak in the Congo since May 2018. The World Bank is focused on investing in people, supporting communities, strengthening services, and systems in the DRC. It is also focused on tackling the underlying sources of poverty and inequity that have helped fuel this outbreak.