Industrialised and oil-producing countries on Thursday pledged $165 million to a World Bank transition fund to help ease economic transition in nations swept up in the Arab Spring popular uprisings.

Among the donors are; The United States which pledged $50 million, Saudi Arabia and United Kingdom gave $25 million each, while Japan will contribute $12 million over a three-year period.

The money came on the initiative of the "Deauville Partnership," which was formed after uprisings last year in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya ended decades-long dictatorships.

The partnership includes the Group of Eight major nations as well as oil producers from the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

The funds announced on Thursday are meant to provide grants for economic governance, trade, investment, and inclusive development and job creation. Countries are hoping to raise a total of $250 million for this transition fund.

"As part of efforts to support the Middle East and North African economies, Japan has pledged $12 million over three years for the MENA Transition Fund," Finance Minister Koriki Jojima said after a meeting with finance ministers gathered in Tokyo for semiannual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.