A USD $10 million grant was signed today by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Tonga Government.

The grant was approved by the ADB on 7 March 2023 and was signed on 15 March 2023 by the Minister of Finance, Hon. Tiofilusi Tiueti and the Regional Director of ADB's Pacific Subregional office, Mr Aaron Batten.

Hon. Tiueti said, “When disaster strikes, quick disbursing finance is needed to help Tonga rapidly respond to a disaster....This program delivers help to Tongan people at a time when they need it most.”

Mr Batten said, “The program is helping the government respond and transition from crisis to resilient economic and fiscal recovery, by implementing reforms over four phases, including supporting early recovery from disasters.”

The Pacific Disaster Resilience program is into its fourth phase. This program supports Tonga and three other countries.

The phase four of the program focuses on:

• Policy and institutional arrangements for risk management and strategic use of climate and disaster risk change and health emergencies;
• Climate and Disaster risk information and actions that strengthen health systems;
• The access to strategic use of climate and disaster risk financing.

Tonga is highly vulnerable to natural hazards and it’s impacts as well as health crisis. ADB said its support to the Pacific under previous phases of the program has helped strengthen policy and legislative arrangements to help the countries manage climate and health disasters.

ADB

The Pacific Disaster Resilience program is financed by a USD5 million concessional loan from ADB’s ordinary capital resources and a USD 33million grant from the Asian development fund. The Asian Development Fund provides grants to ADB’s poorest and most vulnerable developing member countries.

The ADB was established in 1955 and it is owned by 68 members, including 49 from the region.