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By APD writer Aditya Nugraha
JAKARTA, Oct. 14 (APD) -- International development financiers of World Bank (WB) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) offered equally US$ 1 billion of standby assistance funds for Indonesian government to finance relief efforts and reconstruction works in disaster-affected areas of Sulawesi.
The offers were made during the annual meeting of International Monetary Fund (IMF)-World Bank (WB) held in Indonesia’s Bali concluded on Sunday.
WB pledged the assistance fund for Indonesia’s Sulawesi cities affected by earthquake and tsunami on Sunday, plus a US$ 5 million grant for technical assistance for detailed planning to ensure that reconstruction is resilient and community-led.
“Indonesian Government’s immediate relief efforts are robust and impressive. As we enter the reconstruction phase we are making up to 1 billion U.S. dollars of comprehensive support available for Indonesia,” WB Chief Executive Officer Kristalina Georgieva said in a statement.
WB package could include cash transfers to the poorest 150,000 affected families for a period between 6 months to one year.
WB’s assistance fund can be used to finance critical public facilities projects, such as hospitals, schools, bridges, roads, highways and water supply infrastructure.
It can also be used by Indonesian government to enhance the nation’s long term resilience system in anticipating disaster.
Earlier on Friday, ADB pledge its assistance fund amounted US$ 1 billion in the same event. The offer was conveyed by ADB President Takehito Nakao in his meeting with Indonesia President Joko Widodo.
The ADB emergency assistance fund consists of US 500 million to support the government’s emergency budget and an additional of US 500 million to support reconstruction of critical infrastructure.
The 7.4 earthquake followed by tsunami in Sulawesi coastal city of Palu and Donggala that occurred on Sept. 28 have claimed thousands of lives, destroyed tens of thousands of public houses and public facilities.
Indonesian authorities said earlier that at least 1,000 bodies were still buried under the debris as search team can only retrieved over 2,000 bodies in the affected areas after the search and retrieval period ended on Friday.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
