The World Bank has transferred another $125 million to Ukraine: funding for education and healthcare is tied to concrete results of reforms
19 December 15:30
The state budget of Ukraine received over $125 million in concessional financing from the World Bank. The funds are aimed at supporting the education and healthcare sectors and have been transferred to the general budget fund. This was reported by the Ministry of Finance, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Where the money came from
The funding came from two World Bank projects:
- $105.7 million – under the LEARN program, which deals with the accessibility and sustainability of education in times of war;
- $19.5 million – under the THRIVE program aimed at health care reform.
Both projects work on the principle of payment for results, not for promises of reforms.
What exactly was paid for
To receive the next tranche under the LEARN project, the government fulfilled a number of conditions:
- almost 8.5 thousand students and teachers gained access to shelters;
- more than 105 thousand teachers were trained in the New Ukrainian School standards for grade 8;
- 381.5 thousand students received new textbooks free of charge;
- updated the formula for allocating educational subventions for 2026, which increases the minimum school enrollment by at least 30%.
The THRIVE project envisages the strengthening of the Medical Guarantee Program, the increase of the efficiency of financing and the strengthening of the institutional capacity of the NHS.
What the Minister of Finance says
Minister of Finance Sergii Marchenko called the World Bank’s support critical in times of war. According to him, since the launch of the projects in 2024, Ukraine has already received $625 million, which allows it to maintain the quality of basic public services.
LEARN and THRIVE projects are designed for several years
Total amount of agreed funding:
- LEARN – about $451 million, of which more than $305 million has already been received;
- THRIVE – $454 million, of which Ukraine has already received about $320 million.
Further tranches will directly depend on whether the state achieves the results recorded in education and healthcare reforms.
