This report reviews progress and issues in implementing the enhanced HIPC Initiative. In addition to updating information on the delivery of HIPC debt relief and its estimated costs, it discusses two particular issues: the decline in the participation of commercial and non-Paris Club bilateral creditors to the Initiative; and the preliminary list of countries that satisfy the indebtedness eligibility criterion under the extended HIPC sunset clause.

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This document updates the information provided in the September 2005 Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative – Status of Implementation report. It deals exclusively with the enhanced HIPC Initiative, and does not consider the implications of the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI).

The table provides information on HIPC (Heavily Indebted Poor Country) Initiative debt relief provided by each non-Paris Club official bilateral creditor to post-completion point HIPCs. It tracks the HIPC Initiative debt relief granted by these creditors so far. The table will be updated annually in the context of the "HIPC Initiative Status of Implementation Report." It will also be updated when creditors and debtors provide comprehensive information for updating the estimates of HIPC Initiative debt relief provided.

This report reviews progress and issues in implementing the enhanced HIPC Initiative. In addition to updating information on the delivery of HIPC debt relief and its estimated costs, it discusses two particular issues: the decline in the participation of commercial and non-Paris Club bilateral creditors to the Initiative; and the preliminary list of countries that satisfy the indebtedness eligibility criterion under the extended HIPC sunset clause.

In 1996 the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, in response to a call from the leaders of the major industrial nations for a comprehensive approach to the debt problems of the poorest countries, proposed the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Debt Initiative. The initiative reflects concerns of creditors, including the U.S., that, even after receiving debt relief through existing mechanisms, some poor countries will have debt burdens that remain too large relative to their ability to pay. This report: (1) describes the implementation of the HIPC initiative and (2) assesses the initiative's potential to achieve its stated goal. Charts and tables.

This report aims to accomplish three objectives: (a) it provides an update on the status of implementation, impact, and costs of the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) Initiative and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI); (b) it proposes a modification of the reporting of progress under the initiatives, including the discontinuation of the annual status of implementation reports, and the preparation of periodic reports on debt vulnerabilities in low income countries (LICs), including HIPCs; and (c) it proposes a further ring-fencing of the list of countries eligible or potentially eligible for debt relief under the HIPC Initiative based on end-2010 income and indebtedness criteria.