The Asian Development Bank has approved $1.5b in financing to help Pakistan provide “social protection, promote food security, and support employment” for its people amid devastating floods and global supply chain disruptions.

“The loan, provided under ADB’s Building Resilience with Active Countercyclical Expenditures (BRACE) Program, will help fund the government’s $2.3 billion countercyclical development expenditure program designed to cushion the impacts of external shocks, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” it said in a statement issued on Friday.

“Pakistan’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic has been impeded by external shocks,” said ADB Director General for Central and West Asia Yevgeniy Zhukov.

“Increasing business costs and rising living expenses are affecting millions of Pakistanis, especially the poor and vulnerable. ADB’s program will help the government manage the impacts of high prices, increasing food insecurity, slowing business activity, and reducing income for vulnerable groups, many of whom are also reeling from the devastating floods.”