A selection of our projects AUGUST 2020 Digital Development Energy & Extractives Social & Jobs Health Through the Pacific Regional Connectivity Program, In Solomon Islands, World Bank-supported In Solomon Islands, more than 15,000 young people In Marshall Islands, the Multisectoral Early Childhood the Pacific is being connected to faster, cheaper connections to solar power, together with the Tina have undertaken more than 867,000 days of work Development Project is investing in maternal and Our work in Papua New Guinea and more reliable internet. Fiber-optic cables have River Hydropower Project – now under construction and training through the Rapid Employment Project child health, as well as early childhood stimulation been, or will soon be, connected in the Federated – aim to reduce the country’s near-total reliance on and its successor, the Community Access and Urban and preschool services, with a focus on the first States of Micronesia, Fiji, Palau, Samoa and Tonga. & the Pacific Islands diesel fuel for power. Services Enhancement Project. 1,000 days of life. In Tonga, this work has increased broadband access from 2% of the population in 2010 to 50% in 2018, The Tuvalu Energy Sector Development Project Faced with high secondary school drop-out rates, In Samoa, we are working to improve access to and reduced the average retail cost of broadband is helping Tuvalu achieve 40% renewable energy the Skills and Employment for Tongans Project is health care in rural areas, particularly focusing on internet by 97%. usage by the end of 2020. supporting the Tongan government to implement addressing non-communicable diseases. a cash transfer program. It addresses the financial Our support is also helping to connect outer islands In the Federated States of Micronesia and Marshall constraints many households face in keeping their In Papua New Guinea, the Emergency Tuberculosis to broadband, establish the foundations for digital Islands, we are investing in renewable energy through children in secondary school. (TB) Project has ensured patient treatment program government services, and strengthen the regulatory increased solar power, battery storage and grid drop-out rates on Daru Island – one of the world’s environment for the digital economy. management equipment. major TB hotspots – have reduced from 30% to zero. Transport Supporting the Pacific’s Resilience & Land Trade & Investment The Pacific Climate Resilient Transport Program response to COVID-19 Pacific Island countries are at the forefront of climate World Bank economic analysis and ‘quick response’ is building resilience in key roads, ports and other change and disasters. In partnership with the Pacific poverty surveys are helping to target policy We are supporting the Pacific’s coronavirus transport infrastructure in the Federated States of Community (SPC), the Pacific Resilience Program is responses and assistance to the most vulnerable response, with health projects in Fiji, Kiribati, Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu helping Marshall Islands, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu groups in Pacific countries. Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea and Samoa. and Vanuatu. to build early warning systems, strengthen disaster Funding has also been activated in the Federated In Tonga, we have supported a new national labor States of Micronesia, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu policies and community resilience, and is providing The Pacific Aviation Investment Program has mobility policy that is delivering more opportunities to support preparedness and response efforts. support for a regional disaster insurance scheme delivered major reconstruction works to airports for Tongans to access overseas employment. This support is delivering protection for health to ensure quick access to finance after a disaster. and runways in Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, When disasters do strike, we work with partners In Kiribati, World Bank-supported economic reforms with work continuing in each country, as well as workers, increased testing capacity and and governments to support their short-and long- have paved the way for an expansion of preschool Kiribati and Solomon Islands, helping to make air essential supplies. term recovery. education across the country. travel safer and more efficient across the Pacific. Economic recovery support is also being In Tonga, our support has helped reconstruct critical In both Samoa and Tonga, we have supported In Kiribati, we are supporting the construction delivered throughout FY21, and we have already infrastructure, including more than 30 new school government-led efforts to reduce non-communicable of more climate- and disaster-resilient maritime supported Pacific countries with economic buildings, in the wake of 2018’s Tropical Cyclone Gita. diseases through tobacco and alcohol taxes. infrastructure, including the construction of a new impact research to provide critical insights into jetty and passenger terminals, and in Samoa, we how countries are being impacted, and in turn, are helping to build the critical road link between how best they can respond. the airport and the capital. Governance Water & Sanitation We are supporting governments across the Pacific The South Tarawa Water Supply Project is providing to strengthen the management of public finances to people on Kiribati’s most populated island with ensure the long-term health of government budgets better access to a safe, reliable and climate resilient and delivery of public services. water supply. Environment & Natural Resources Poverty & Equity The Pacific Islands Regional Oceanscape Program  The lack of quality data for – and in – Pacific In Solomon Islands, we are helping communities in We are supporting improved access to clean is helping Pacific countries coordinate sustainable Island countries remains a critical roadblock to some of the most remote and isolated parts of the and reliable water supply services for people in management of tuna fisheries to ensure the benefits the region’s understanding of poverty, welfare country to build lasting peace through an innovative nine provincial towns and 10 rural districts across are maximized for each country’s future growth and and social developments. We are working to community policing model. Papua New Guinea. modernize statistical data collection in the Pacific, development. The program also helps countries to with Kiribati and Tonga acting as ‘pilot’ countries sustainably manage their coastal fisheries and critical to help demonstrate improvements in coming years. habitats, and is active in the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Agriculture & Food Education Tonga and Tuvalu, in addition to supporting the In Papua New Guinea, we have supported more than The Tuvalu Learning Project is supporting early Forum Fisheries Association. 67,000 coffee and cocoa farmers to increase their education and literacy by engaging parents and skills, productivity and access to markets. communities, and by strengthening teaching at preschool, primary and secondary levels. In Samoa, where almost 70% of the population works worldbankpacific worldbank.org/pacificislands | worldbank.org/png in agriculture, we are supporting farmers to improve livestock and farming practices. @WB_AsiaPacific pacificislands@worldbank.org Our mission Where we work The World Bank Group aims to make a real difference in the lives of millions of people by delivering on its twin goals: ending extreme poverty and increasing shared prosperity. $1.83 Billion 90 Projects 12 Countries With deep financial resources, combined with global expertise in economic analysis and managing sustainable development, the World Bank is supporting Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands to be better connected, 1 PROJECT 10 PROJECTS 6 PROJECTS enhance resilience and create jobs and opportunities. $0.6m $65m $182m Palau Regional Federated States of Micronesia 7 PROJECTS 7 PROJECTS $133m $94m The Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea Marshall Islands Kiribati Pacific Island countries have substantial natural resources, they are rich in cultural diversity and are rapidly increasing 11 PROJECTS 11 PROJECTS Nauru their trade and digital links with global markets. However, Pacific countries face unique development challenges: $499m $164m they are physically detached from major markets, have small populations spread across many islands, they are confronting the worst impacts of climate change, and are some of the 7 PROJECTS most vulnerable countries to natural disasters in the world. Solomon We are supporting Pacific Island countries to build on their Papua Islands $123m strengths, while managing their vulnerabilities. New Guinea 11 PROJECTS Tuvalu The World Bank Group $207m Samoa International Bank International International The Multilateral The International 6 PROJECTS 4 PROJECTS for Reconstruction Development Finance Investment Centre for Working in partnership with 12 countries across the region, the World Bank & Development (IBRD) Association (IDA) Corporation (IFC) Guarantee Agency (MIGA) Settlement of Investment Disputes is currently supporting 90 projects across the Pacific Islands and Papua New $136m $126m Guinea, totalling a US$1.83 billion* commitment through a combination of 9 PROJECTS IBRD and IDA financing and Recipient-Executed Trust Funds. Vanuatu Fiji Lends to Provides Focused exclusively MIGA offers political Provides * based on 30 June 2020 data $105m governments of interest-free on the private sector, risk insurance international Tonga middle-income loans & grants the IFC provides (guarantees) facilities for & creditworthy to governments advice to businesses to investors conciliation & low-income of the poorest & governments, & and lenders to arbitration of countries. countries. contributes debt promote foreign investment & equity financing direct investment disputes. Agriculture & Food Education Environment & Natural Resources Governance Poverty & Equity Social & Jobs Transport to commercial into developing companies. countries. Digital Development Energy & Extractives Finance & Innovation Health Resilience & Land Trade & Investment Water & Sanitation