This proposed additional financing responds to a request for urgent assistance by the Government of Morocco to support the country in managing the health response to the COVID crisis.

The proposed Additional Financing encompasses funds from the Fast Track COVID-19 Facility (FTCF) in the amount of US$35 million and it also proposes to reallocate US$12.98 million of undisbursed funds from the parent PforR. The AF and reallocated funds would support a new emergency COVID-19 response component under the parent PforR to support the government’s emergency COVID-19 health sector response plan and would focus primarily on strengthening case detection, surveillance and case management aspects of the response.

The proposed AF is part of a larger program of World Bank support for Morocco which also comprises the restructuring to include a health-related catastrophe trigger in an existing Development Policy Financing with Catastrophe Deferred Drawdown Option (disbursed on April 3, 2020, over US$275 million), a new Development Policy Finance for Financial and Digital Inclusion (expected to be presented to the Board in June) in the amount of US$400 million, and portfolio adjustments to support individual sector responses, all of which seek to improve fiscal space and assist Morocco in reducing the health and economic impact of COVID-19.