International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
In the attached letter, the Somali authorities request an extension of the date on which the arrangement under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) will automatically expire unless a review is completed to August 17, 2022. On March 25, 2020, the Executive Board approved Somalia’s HIPC Initiative Decision Point1 and a three-year arrangement under the ECF.2 The first review under the ECF arrangement was completed by the Executive Board on November 18, 2020.3 However, as no review has been completed since then, the ECF arrangement is set to automatically expire on May 17, 2022, in line with the rule on automatic expiration of ECF arrangements if no review has been completed for 18 months. Under Fund policy, the Board may decide to delay the automatic expiry of the arrangement by up to three months if staff and the authorities appear close to reaching understandings on targets and measures to put the ECF-supported program back on track.
The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted Tanzania’s macroeconomic outlook. The Tanzanian authorities are implementing a comprehensive emergency pandemic response plan to help mitigate the significant socioeconomic and health effects of the crisis, resulting in an ongoing urgent balance of payments need.
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
This paper discusses Jordan’s Request for Purchase Under the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI). The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has had a severe impact on the Jordanian people’s lives and on the economy. Tourism disruption and sharp declines in remittances, exports and capital inflows have resulted in an urgent balance of payments need. The Jordanian authorities have responded with decisive containment and health measures that effectively limited the spread of the virus with minimal fatalities. They also implemented a timely package of policies to mitigate the economic fallout of the pandemic. IMF financing under the RFI will support international reserves and help meet the budget financing needs for crisis mitigation. Mobilizing additional financing from multilateral and bilateral creditors will be essential to support the authorities’ policy efforts and preserve macroeconomic stability. The authorities remain committed to the objectives of the reform program supported by the Extended Fund Facility arrangement, which was approved by the Board in March. When the crisis abates, the priority will be resuming fiscal consolidation to place public debt on a declining path and pursuing reforms to strengthen the competitiveness of the Jordanian economy and to support inclusive growth and job creation.
This paper refers to Seychelles’ Request for Purchase Under the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI). The near-term economic fallout of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic is expected to be severe. Restriction in travel will hinder tourism and weaken fiscal and external positions, creating large additional financing needs. The authorities reacted swiftly by taking immediate measures of containment, including border closures, strengthening health policy responses and supporting households and firms. The emergency IMF support under the RFI provides timely resources to the authorities to address the urgent balance of payments and budgetary needs. The assistance of other international financial institutions and development partners is crucial to close the remaining financing gaps, ease the adjustment burden, and preserve economic growth. The authorities are committed to transparency and good governance in the use of emergency financing by providing monthly reports of pandemic-related expenditure to the National Assembly and undertaking an independent audit of such spending and procurement and publishing the results.
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
This paper focuses on the Kyrgyz Republic’s Request for Purchase Under the Rapid Financing Instrument and Disbursement Under the Rapid Credit Facility. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has hit the Kyrgyz economy very hard and increased an already urgent balance of payments need. All sectors are being severely affected while measures are being taken to stop the spread of the virus. The IMF emergency support addresses the urgent balance of payments need, shores up confidence, and catalyzes donor support. In order to ensure that the financing provided is efficiently spent on addressing the crisis, the authorities have committed to strengthen procurement rules. The health care contingency plan and the initial package of economic measures already adopted by the authorities to provide health and economic relief are welcome, as is the second, larger, package of measures under preparation. In their attached letter of intent, the authorities remain committed to temporarily loosening macroeconomic and financial policies to finance health and economic relief and support a recovery. They have also made additional commitments to strengthen procurement rules, including steps to enhance transparency, to help ensure that financing received is efficiently spent on addressing the crisis.
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has weakened the macroeconomic outlook. The authorities have launched a health care contingency plan and an initial package of economic measures, together totaling $31 million (0.4 percent of GDP), and are preparing a second, larger package of economic measures of about $400 million (5.2 percent of GDP). To help address an urgent balance of payments need arising from the pandemic, estimated at about $500 million, the authorities request an additional purchase under the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) of 33.3 percent of quota (SDR 59.2 million) and a disbursement under the Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) of 16.7 percent of quota (SDR 29.6 million) under the “exogenous shock” window of the RCF. This follows Board approval on March 26, 2020 of the authorities’ earlier request for the same amounts, before the doubling of the annual access on emergency financing under the “exogenous shock” window of the Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) to 100 percent of quota was approved on April 6, 2020. This additional request will bring the total purchases under the RFI and the disbursements under the RCF to 100 percent of quota in 2020.