Supporting vulnerable countries against economic shocks, including fiscal crises due to natural disasters, is an important objective for the World Bank. Going forward, borrowers may choose to include in their IBRD loans and IDA credits contractual provisions (CRDC) that permit the borrower to defer principal and/or intEerest payments of the loan for up to 2 years, following the occurrence of a pre-specified natural disaster. This in turn will free up government resources to finance disaster response and recovery efforts. […]