The urgency of the lending produced outcomes that, while unavoidable, are nevertheless instructive. For example, target setting was difficult because the contours of the pandemic were fluid. Liaising with the government was also challenging. The timeline for initial response was tight, and ADB worked with a small number of government teams in the interest of speed. This concentrated approach to planning was complicated by the pandemic affecting government officials’ health and well-being personally. Due to the emergency nature of the program; the initial planning mainly involved the Ministry of Finance. Other ministries that may have had additional insights to share with ADB were mainly consulted during implementation. It was partly for this reason that unrealistic expectations were set and then not met for some Gender targets.
COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support Program