December 16, 2021
Statement by Mr. SUZUKI Shunichi, Minister of Finance, Japan
1. Japan welcomes today’s historic agreement on the 20th replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA20) reached at its final meeting hosted by Japan.
2. For the first time in the International Development Association (IDA)'s history, the IDA20 was advanced by one year departing from its ordinary three-year replenishment cycle, in order to meet growing demands for the IDA’s resource from low-income countries in their response to the COVID-19 crisis. We are confident that today’s historic agreement will provide strong support for the recovery from the crisis towards green, resilient and inclusive developments in low-income countries.
3. Japan highly values the IDA20’s priority areas that cover key development agendas of Japan such as: responding to the COVID-19 and strengthening health system including through promotion of Universal Health Coverage; enhancing resilience to natural disasters; facilitating quality infrastructure investment; and ensuring debt transparency and sustainability.
4. Taking these into account, Japan pledges to contribute JPY 376.7 billion (around USD 3.4 billion) to the IDA20, maintaining its 13.8 percent burden share.
5. Japan is committed to continuing its active support for the IDA, a leading development institution that plays a pivotal role in achieving sustainable poverty reduction in low-income countries.