Best regards, Lire

Lire Ersado

Program Leader

South Caucasus, Europe and Central Asia

T:    +1-202-473-2377 (HQ) /+995-322-296-225 (CO) /5252-225

M:    +1-202-701-9506 (US) /+995-577-11-88-52 (GE)

E:     lersado@worldbank.org

W:    http://blogs.worldbank.org/user/686

http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lire_Ersado

Hi Lire, thanks a lot, I have another quick call at 6.30. I will stay with you online with some interruption.

Thanks for letting me know.

Best

Tamar

FYI

Below is the exchange with MOF re a joint meeting between MOF, MOH and WB today. We want to make sure you join us.  Maia will be sending you invitation.

Dear Niko,

Under the Fast Track COVID-19 Facility (FTCF), the Bank has mobilized strong and experienced team to support Georgia with its emergency COVID response. The team has initiated work on a $80m emergency health and social protection project. Initial meeting with Ministry of Health (MOH), led by first DM Tamar Gabunia, has already been held.  From that meeting, while there is clarity on health-related measures, there is less clarity on social protection measures to be supported under FTCF. The MOH team has informed us that the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development (MOESD) have been tasked to lead the government’s responses regarding COVID social and economic impacts, including those related to social protection.

With that brief background, the immediate next steps to expeditiously process the emergency COVID project are as follows:

• Hold, as soon as possible a joint meeting (MOF/MOESD, MOH and WB) to provide guidance to the team preparing the project. From MOH, we recommend that DM Tamar Gabunia and DM Tamar Barkalaia join such meeting.  It is important to ensure that MOF/MOESD, MOH and the Bank teams are on the same page regarding the key social protection measures to be supported under FTCF.
• Assign key technical focal points in MOF/MOESD who work with the MOH and Bank teams and can respond to queries related to technical aspects of the emergency project; and
• As time is of the essence, we request that the joint meeting takes place by this week, to allow the Bank team to complete project preparation and approval by this month.

Dear Niko –

Thank you for your email and sorry for the delay in response.  To begin with, yes, let’s absolutely talk by phone today.  I suggest we organize a VC for 5pm (or anytime after 5pm) to discuss the below issues (requesting Maia to set-up). 

But in summary:

• Re. the augmentation of the DPO: I am asking Geno to provide you with an outline of next steps and procedures required from your side.   FYI, we have already initiated the process internally and are moving forward as quickly as possible to process this to deliver by mid-May. 

• Re. the COVID 19 Fast Track Facility: I am requesting Lire to provide you with an outline of next steps and procedures required from your side. The most important is what I had mentioned yesterday, that is that we urgently need to organize a meeting with the Ministries of Finance and Health so as to agree on the list of health and social protection measures we will finance, both retroactively and moving forward.

• Finally, re. the social and Economic Support Program (we are calling it Jobs and Economic Recovery program to highlight the focus on re-igniting the economy and providing jobs to people), note that we are indeed organizing meetings with the MOESD and also NBG to identify support programs.  We also intend to reach out to the private sector to better gauge how we can support.  But yes, great if you can identify the government team, ideally from MoF, MoSD, and NBG, to help us identify opportunities to support the economic recovery process! 

Thank you again and I look forward to our conversation.

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