Samoa First Response, Recovery and Resilience Development Policy Operation with a Catastrophe Deferred Drawdown Option

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The development objectives of First Response, Recovery and Resilience Development Policy Operation with a Catastrophe-Deferred Drawdown Option (Cat-DDO) Project are to promote an inclusive economic response and recovery from the impacts of Coronavirus (COVID-19), strengthen Samoa’s macro-fiscal resilience, and increase Samoa’s resilience to climate change, natural disasters, and health risks. The programmatic Development Policy Operation (DPO) series supports government’s response to Coronavirus (COVID-19), as well as its longer-term efforts to facilitate economic recovery and build resilience. Since the onset of the measles outbreak and the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the content of the program has shifted substantially toward supporting the immediate response to these shocks, ensuring that the economy is in a position to recover once Coronavirus (COVID-19) related restrictions ease, and increasing resilience to risks, including those associated with climate change, natural disasters, and public health emergencies. Pillar 1 supports measures to protect the livelihoods of households and workers adversely affected by the crisis. Pillar 2 supports reforms to strengthen the medium-term fiscal position by improving revenue administration, and to mitigate fiscal risks, through closer assessment and monitoring of government on-lending to State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs). Pillar 3 supports reforms to strengthen early warning systems (for climate, natural and health risks), ensure that builders meet minimum standards, and promote child vaccinations. These reforms are closely aligned with current priorities, including sustainability and business development, improved health outcomes, and climate and disaster resilience as outlined in the Strategy for the Development of Samoa FY2017–FY2020 (SDS).