The World Bank reported this week that it had expended over $4.75 billion in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region for the 2021 fiscal year, which concluded at the end of June.
Some $3.98 billion went to second world countries and $658 million was dispensed to the most destitute nations in the region in novel expenditures. An additional $114 million were earmarked for the Palestinian Authority. In addition to health systems strengthening, the bank also responded to requests for support for COVID-19 vaccines.
“The pandemic has put the region’s already strained resilience to the test and has taken a devastating toll on people across MENA. It has also heightened the urgency for decision-makers to undertake further reforms to address long-standing development challenges in their countries,” Ferid Belhaj, World Bank vice president for MENA, said in a statement.
In terms of COVID-19, the World Bank spent $34 million to provide coronavirus vaccines for citizens of and refugees in Lebanon. The organization dispersed $100 million to Tunisia, $63.5 million to Jordan, and $20 million to Yemen for vaccine doses.