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THE PRESIDENT of Indonesia, Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said that the decline in the number of COVID-19 cases in the ASEAN region must be a momentum to rise together.
“ASEAN must continue to purchase vaccines for its members, continue to fight discrimination and politicization of vaccines, and voice the importance of equal access to vaccines for all,” said President Joko Widodo when delivering his speech from the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java, at the 38TH ASEAN Summit which was held virtually, Tuesday (10/26).
For this reason, President Joko Widodo invites ASEAN leaders to take a number of acceleration and strengthening steps in the health sector.
First, President Jokowi emphasized the importance of accelerating vaccination in the region. Currently, the full vaccination rate in the ASEAN region is still 10% below the world average.
Second, Jokowi stressed that strengthening the regional health architecture in overcoming the pandemic in the future is absolutely necessary. Harmonization of public health emergency policies among ASEAN countries related to detection, mitigation, and cross-border policies, must be carried out immediately.
In addition, President Jokowi said, the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund must be transformed into a strong regional health fund.
He explained that the ASEAN Emergency Health Fund was to fund access to medical devices, diagnostics, medicines, and vaccines in times of emergency. The ASEAN Regional Reserve of Medical Supplies also needs to be strengthened.
“At the same time, the ASEAN region is encouraged to become a regional hub for the production of medical devices, diagnostics, medicines, and vaccines. This is to ensure the supply of the needs of ASEAN countries in the event of a public health emergency,” President Jokowi stated.
Success in the health sector, Jokowi continued, will open the door to success in the economy. ADB Outlook 2021 estimates ASEAN economic growth in 2022 at 5%.
“We have to prove that we can achieve more than that by disciplined work together and take steps together,” he said.
According to President Jokowi, there are many common agendas that need to be carried out together. Jokowi stressed the importance of reactivation of travel, including tourism, which is safe from COVID-19, and trusted by the global community.
“The implementation of travel corridors based on the ASEAN Travel Corridor Arrangement Framework (ATCAF) needs to be implemented in an orderly manner,” he remarked.
In addition, adaptation to a digital economy must be accelerated in all countries to get around the limitations of human movement. As the region with the fastest internet growth in the world, he said, the potential of ASEAN’s digital economy is huge.
“During the pandemic, the digital economy grew to reach US$100 billion in 2020. This is a stepping stone for economic progress in our region and ASEAN’s contribution to global economic recovery,” President Jokowi concluded. [antaranews]
