The Special Development Fund (SDF) was at the forefront of CDB’s response to COVID-19 in 2020: grants for personal protective equipment and reprogrammed, uncommitted resources for debt service, policy-based lending, social sector and micro, small and medium-sized enterprise assistance helped Caribbean people to cope with the pandemic.

The SDF resources continued to be deployed in key areas of development for Borrowing Member Countries. These ranged from disaster response, to the provision of critical infrastructure that underpins efficient and socially inclusive growth.

In 2020, the Fund turned in an outstanding performance in the final year of its ninth cycle. Loan commitments amounted to $173 million (mn), the highest recorded to date, while grants also performed favourably, with approvals totalling $22.5 mn.