## IMF Executive Board Approves Immediate Debt Relief for 25 Countries

_IMF News, April 13, 2020_

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## Bibliographic details
- Published: April 13, 2020

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### Summary of action
- Executive Board approved immediate debt service relief to 25 IMF member countries under the IMF’s revamped Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT).
- Announcement date: April 13, 2020.
- Statement issued by Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund.

### Funding and scale
- The CCRT can currently provide about US$500 million in grant-based debt service relief.
- Includes a recent US$185 million pledge by the U.K.
- Includes US$100 million provided by Japan as immediately available resources.
- Other contributors mentioned: China and the Netherlands.

### Duration and use of relief
- Relief covers IMF debt obligations for an initial phase over the next six months.
- Objective: help countries channel more scarce financial resources towards vital emergency medical and other relief efforts.
- IMF urged donors to replenish the Trust’s resources to boost ability to provide additional debt service relief for a full two years to poorest member countries.

### Beneficiary countries
- The countries that will receive debt service relief today are: Afghanistan, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, D.R., The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan, Togo, and Yemen.

### Policy message and appeals
- Grants through the CCRT target the poorest and most vulnerable IMF members.
- IMF called for additional donor contributions to replenish the Trust and extend relief duration up to a full two years.

### Media relations
- IMF Communications Department, MEDIA RELATIONS.
- PRESS OFFICER: Wafa Amr
- Phone: +1 202 623-7100
- Email: MEDIA@IMF.org
- @IMFSpokesperson

*IMF Communications Department, April 13, 2020.*

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## References

- [https://www.imf.org/en/about/senior-officials/bios/kristalina-georgieva](https://www.imf.org/en/about/senior-officials/bios/kristalina-georgieva)
- [IMF Executive Board Approves Immediate Debt Service Relief for 25 Eligible Low-Income Countries](https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2020/04/16/pr20165-board-approves-immediate-debt-service-relief-for-25-eligible-low-income-countries)
- [Factsheet: Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust](https://www.imf.org/en/About/Factsheets/Sheets/2016/08/01/16/49/Catastrophe-Containment-and-Relief-Trust)
- [https://www.imf.org/en/topics/imf-and-covid19](https://www.imf.org/en/topics/imf-and-covid19)
- [The IMF and COVID-19 (Coronavirus)](https://www.imf.org/en/Topics/imf-and-covid19)
- [PRESS CENTER](http://presscenter.imf.org/)
- [https://www.imf.org/en/home](https://www.imf.org/en/home)

_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/news/articles/2020/04/13/pr20151-imf-executive-board-approves-immediate-debt-relief-for-25-countries_