Press Release

OFID releases US$8 million in grant assistance to bolster development

85/2006 December 19, 2006, Vienna, Austria
Press inquiries:

The Governing Board of the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) has approved fresh grant financing totaling US$8 million in support of several critical development initiatives. Announcing the approvals, Director-General, Suleiman J. Al-Herbish, stressed the importance of “outright grants” in OFID’s development finance strategy. “OFID views its grants program as a key instrument for providing assistance when no other option is viable,” he said.

Two of the new grants will be drawn from OFID’s Special Grant Account for HIV/AIDS Operations:

• US$3.5 million will co-finance a regional initiative among Arab countries that seeks to scale up and integrate national responses to the pandemic. The scheme will be implemented jointly with the United Nations Development Program and involves the participation of 18 countries in the region.
• US$1.5 million will support the activities of the South African Foundation for Professional Development (FPD), an institute that specializes in tailor-made training courses for health professionals. Some 5,600 doctors and nurses from six countries will receive the necessary training to provide a full range of HIV/AIDS services, from protection and prevention through to care and treatment.

A third grant, of US$2.5 million, will help finance Phase II of a project that offers financial support to civil society organizations in Palestine. Providing services that range from poverty alleviation, child care, health and rehabilitation, to education and rural development, these organizations are a vital source of support to hard-hit communities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The resources will be drawn from OFID’s Special Grant Account for Palestine.

The fourth grant is worth US$500,000 and is being channelled through the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in support of its program to improve the nutritional status of refugees in Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya and Nepal. The financing will be used, among other things, to fortify cereal staples, to add micronutrient supplements to school meals and to diversify diet through the provision of fresh, nutrient-rich foods.

Since its inception, OFID has provided more than US$377 million in grant support, including funding for technical assistance, research, emergency assistance and food aid.