World Bank approves $535m for social protection, livestock development

ISLAMABAD: The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved $535 million in financing for Pakistan to support two projects.

The additional financing for the Crisis Resilient Social Protection (CRISP) Programme aims to strengthen the country’s social protection system and build shock resilience among poor and vulnerable households, while the Sindh Livestock and Aquaculture Sectors Transformation (LIVAQUA) Project will promote climate-smart and competitive small and medium producers in the livestock and aquaculture sectors in Sindh.

“The catastrophic floods that hit Pakistan in 2022 were a tragic reminder of the importance to build resilience to such disasters, including by strengthening both social protection and sectors that support economic growth and recovery,” said Najy Benhassine, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan.

“It is also imperative to help the vulnerable absorb climate shocks through innovative climate-smart technology and contingency planning.”

The additional financing for CRISP ($400 million) will build on the programme’s ongoing efforts to equip Pakistan’s social protection system with the policy and delivery system foundations necessary for more effective and rapid responses to future crises. The programme will focus on longer-term policy actions to further improve the national cash transfer programme’s effectiveness, coverage and Federal-Provincial coordination.

“Since its inception, the CRISP Programme has achieved significant results with regular safety net support to more than nine million families and a demonstrated capability of quickly reaching 2.8 million families during the recent floods,” said Amjad Zafar Khan, Task Team Leader for the project.

“The additional financing would not only assist families in becoming more resilient to climate and economic shocks, but also encourage the use of provincial capacities to take up a larger role in social assistance.”

Project documents noted that the government, in recognition of the need to continue sectoral and institutional reforms and the success of the CRISP Programme, has requested further support through AF of $400 million ($270 million out of the Country’s Performance Based Allocation of IDA, and $130 million of Shorter Maturity Loan from the IDA Scale Up Window).

AF is the appropriate instrument given that the government has proposed important system improvements and policy adjustments that continue the reforms planned under the original CRISP Programme. The boundaries of the broader government’s programme and the programme supported through CRISP remain the same, with no additional funding to the IPF component of the programme.

LIVAQUA ($135 million) will finance interventions to promote climate-smart production, value addition, and inclusive access to markets, and help create opportunities for growth in the livestock and aquaculture sectors. These will include improving sector policy and strategic frameworks, as well as evidence-based decision making.

It will also contribute to strengthening the capacity of public and private providers to deliver essential knowledge, inputs, and services such as disease surveillance and control, diagnostic laboratory services, breeding programmes, food safety, and the development and transfer of green technologies.

LIVAQUA will cover all districts in Sindh using a phased approach. It is expected to directly benefit more than 940,000 farm families, including 930,000 livestock households and 10,000 aquaculture producers. The project also includes measures to ensure female farmers’ participation in the project and narrow gender gaps.

“The project will improve the livelihoods of small and medium livestock and aquaculture producers, increase their resilience to animal health and climate-related shocks, strengthen the overall growth of these two sectors in Sindh, and more broadly improve food and nutrition security and reduce the sectors’ contribution to greenhouse gas emissions,” said Myriam Chaudron, Task Team Leader for the project.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024