The grant, provided by the International Development Association (IDA), will be used to finance the Avian and Human Influenza Control and Preparedness Emergency Project (AHICPEP), a World Bank (WB) press statement said.
Designed in support of Cambodia's Comprehensive Avian and Human Influenza (AHI) National Plan, this project aims to help the government contain the spread of the H5N1 virus; reduce livelihood losses among commercial and backyard poultry growers; limit damage to the poultry industry; diminish the viral load in the environment; and prevent or limit human morbidity as well as mortality.
Prior to its approval, the AHICPEP was appraised by a joint team that included representatives of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Commission (EC) and UNICEF.
In addition to the IDA grant, the government of Japan has provided a US$3 million grant from its Policy and Human Resources Development (PHRD) Fund, and a grant in the amount of $2 million was approved by the Avian and Human Influenza (AHI) Facility, a multi-donor grant-making mechanism supported by the European Commission and eight other donors.
"The World Bank has been working with multilateral, bilateral, and other partners in country and at the international level to prepare the Global Program for Avian Influenza Control and Human Pandemic Preparedness and Response," said the World Bank's Country Director for Cambodia, Ian Porter.
