Building Resilience with Active Countercyclical Expenditures Program

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The BRACE program will support the implementation of the government's countercyclicalmeasures, targeting the poor and vulnerable while meeting financing needs. The program isaligned with the overarching development objective: social inclusion promoted by strengtheningthe support to poor and vulnerable groups, and economic resilience improved.24 The effect of theprogram will be: adverse socioeconomic effects of the shocks mitigated, and resilience of poorand vulnerable groups enhanced. The program will contribute to the government's efforts tocontain inflation within reasonable limits through fiscal interventions. It targets the provision ofsocial assistance and protection until March 2023 to ensure that more than 500,000 poor andvulnerable households (of whom at least 40% are headed by women) benefit from at least oneeconomic assistance program under the government's Anti-Crisis Action Plan, and thereforeprevent them from falling deeper into poverty because of a higher cost of living. At least 186,000MSMEs are expected to remain in business, of which at least 20% are owned by women. Theprogram has three reform areas: (i) increased social assistance measures implemented, (ii)increased food security measures implemented, and (iii) enhanced support for business entitiesand measures to safeguard employment implemented.