Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia at the 2nd Global COVID-19 Summit, in Washington DC, USA, May 12, 2022

Honorable President Biden and World Leaders,

The COVID-19 pandemic has given global community a very valuable lesson. The fact is that global health resilience and preparedness against the pandemic are not strong enough. As a consequence, the global community must pay the price; millions of people have lost their lives, and the global economy has also experienced a slump.

Therefore, we have to cooperate in overcoming the pandemic, and to build a stronger global health architecture and preparedness. To overcome the pandemic, acceleration of vaccination should be done to reach 70 percent of the residents in every country. The declining number of cases today should be used as a momentum to launch the final blow against COVID-19. Vaccination must be accelerated. Our collaboration must bridge the challenges posed by vaccination, starting from funding, logistics, to human resources.

Meanwhile, to build a stronger global health architecture and preparedness, there are at least three things needed.

First, inclusive access to health. All people without exception should have access to basic health services. Basic health infrastructure should be adequate and ready to handle the pandemic. At the global level, every country, be it the big ones or the small ones, the rich ones or the poor ones, must have equal access to health solution.

Second, adequate funding access. Not all countries have resources to improve their health infrastructure. We need a new health funding mechanism that includes donor countries and multilateral funding banks. Health funding support must be perceived as an investment and a shared responsibility in order to prevent the pandemic.

Third, empowerment. Collective capacity should be mustered, and international cooperation is the key. Cooperation in research, technology transfer, and access to raw material must be strengthened. Monopoly in the supply chain of health industry should not be allowed. Diversification of production center of medicines, vaccines, diagnostic and therapeutic devices should be done. With its capacity, Indonesia is ready to become a hub for vaccine production and distribution in the region.

His Excellency, Indonesia’s presidency in G20 is paying serious attention to inclusive cooperation in health sector. Therefore, it takes all countries’ roles and participation, the strengthening of World Health Organization’s role, and also multilateralism. No country should be left behind in our efforts to build a stronger global health architecture and preparedness.

Recover together, recover stronger.

I thank you.

(AW/MUR)