Islamic Republic of Afghanistan; Fourth Review Under the Three-Year Arrangement Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility and Request for Waiver of Performance Criterion: Staff Report; Staff Supplement and Statement; Press Release on the Executive Board Discussion; and Statement by the Executive Director for the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

This paper discusses key findings of the Fourth Review Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) for Afghanistan and a Request for Waiver of Performance Criterion. Program performance during the second half of 2007/08 fell short of expectations. The performance criterion on fiscal revenue was missed, and the authorities fell behind on several program commitments. For 2008/09, real GDP growth is projected to moderate to 7.5 percent and inflation to decelerate to 15½ percent by year’s end.