Union of the Comoros: Request for a Four-Year Arrangement Under the Extended Credit Facility-Press Release; Staff Supplement; and Statement by the Executive Director for the Union of the Comoros

Comoros is a small, fragile island state facing significant development challenges, balance of payments needs, a high risk of debt distress, vulnerabilities in the banking system, and governance weaknesses. In recent years, the country was hit by successive shocks including Cyclone Kenneth in 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020- 21, and fallout from the war in Ukraine in 2022. Two rounds of emergency support under the RCF/RFI of SDR 8.9 million each were approved in July 2019 and April 2020. A Staff Monitored Program (SMP), approved in September 2021, ended with broadly satisfactory performance, helping to establish a track record of policy implementation towards an Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement. Policies under the SMP aimed to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, reduce economic risks, and begin reforms to tackle sources of fragility.