Jordan COVID-19 Emergency Response Additional Financing

About the project

The purpose of the proposed Additional Financing (AF) is to provide financing to help the Government of Jordan (GOJ) purchase and deploy COVID-19 vaccines that meet the World Bank’s vaccine approval criteria (VAC), strengthen relevant health systems that are necessary for successful vaccine deployment, and prepare for future epidemics. Refugees will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations under this project. The proposed AF form part of an expanded health response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is being supported by development partners under the coordination of the GOJ. Additional World Bank financing provide essential resources to enable the expansion of a sustained and comprehensive pandemic response that will appropriately include vaccination in Jordan. Critically, the AF seeks to enable the acquisition of vaccines from a range of sources to support Jordan’s objective to have a portfolio of options to access vaccines under the right conditions (of value-for-money, regulatory approvals, and delivery time among other key features). The AF is aligned with the World Bank Group (WBG) Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Jordan for FY17– FY22.

Project Development Objective (PDO)

To prevent, detect, and respond to the threat posed by COVID-19 and strengthen the national health system for public health preparedness. The Parent Project includes three components: Component 1: Emergency COVID-19 Response ($19.45 million); Component 2: Implementation Management and Monitoring and Evaluation ($0.5 million); and Component 3: Contingent Emergency Response Component (CERC) ($0 million).

Project Implementation Status

The Jordan COVID-19 Emergency Response Project (JCERP) was financed by a US$20 million loan prepared under the World Bank
COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Program (SPRP) using the Multiphase Programmatic Approach (MPA). The project
was approved by the World Bank on April 28, 2020, and declared effective on May 13, 2020. Additional financing of US$63 million
(US$50 million IBRD loan, US$12.5 million grant from the Global Concessional Financing Facility and US$1.25 million from the
Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Trust Fund), was approved on June 16, 2021, and became effective on October 6,
2021. The project closed on January 31, 2024.

Of the total amount of US$83.75 million, 90.6 percent (US$75.88 million) has been disbursed, with the original financing fully
disbursed. The project closed with a balance of approximately US$7.9 million undisbursed, which was subsequently cancelled. In
accordance with the Financial Procedures Agreement (FPA), the IBRD will transfer the pro rata GCFF amount to be determined
from the undisbursed amount to the GCFF Trustee for reflow into two windows – Jordan and MENA where the original
commitment came from. The GCFF Steering Committee will be notified of the exact amount by the GCFF Trustee.

The JCERP has supported expenditures for mandatory quarantine of more than 5,300 people in late March 2020. It has also
supported expanded case management capacities to accommodate surges of infections/hospitalized cases through the procurement
of life-saving medical equipment for intensive care units at Al-Bashir Hospital in Amman and three field hospitals in Amman, Irbid
and Ma’an. In addition, a contract has been signed with Pfizer for COVID-19 vaccines, with 750,000 doses already delivered.

In response to a request from the Government of Jordan (GOJ) in September 2023, the JCERP was restructured in January 2024 to
reallocate funds initially designated for COVID-19 vaccines to cover expenses related to COVID-19 case management, including
personal protective equipment and diagnostic kits. This restructuring enabled the GOJ to use the project funds to benefit Syrian
refugees and vulnerable Jordanians who received free care at MOH facilities for COVID-19 case management. The support allowed
the MOH to enhance and maintain its service delivery capacity for COVID-19 services and benefited Syrian refugees who utilized
MOH services. The reallocation of funds did not negatively impact Syrian refugees and did not affect the project’s original objectives. In the latest Implementation Status Report issued in May 2024, the PDO achievement rating was deemed Satisfactory, with all PDO indicators successfully met.

The project closed on January 31, 2024.

Relevant Documents:

• Project Paper
• World Bank Project Information Page