The IMF said today, June 4, at a press briefing that it is rephasing its support to Ethiopia to address urgent needs to help Ethiopia deal with the immediate impact of the war.
“We are rephasing the disbursements to bring forward $200 million, under the program to help Ethiopia deal with the immediate impact of the of the war. On the issue of debt, what we are doing is to encourage all of the parties to come together to look for an appropriate resolution and solution to the issue, because it's an important step for Ethiopia to be able to kind of restore debt sustainability, durably. And so that's basically, this is what we're really encouraging the parties to come together and look for a proposal that all parties will find suitable,” said Julie Kozack, the Director of the Communications Department at the IMF.
And on Ebola, the IMF says that it is closely watching both the health and economic impact.
“On Ebola, we are obviously monitoring the situation, you know, what's happening with the outbreak, but also the potential economic impacts of the outbreak, particularly in DRC, Uganda and in South Sudan. But when we look at the broader macro economy in the countries, it's too soon to really assess what whether there's going to be broader macroeconomic consequences at the national or regional level. We are closely engaged with the authorities in the affected countries. And we are also engaging with other development partners to better understand the evolving situation and how we can be most supportive. We, of course, stand ready to support the affected countries as needed,” added Kozack.
To watch the full briefing, click here.