Indonesia Urges G20 to Reduce COVID-19 Vaccine Gap

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Saturday urged G20 member states to help reduce the shortage and availability gap of COVID-19 vaccines as well as support the distribution of medicines and essential equipment.

G20 members should support product diversification and transfer of technology to developing countries and ease trade obstacles to vaccine raw materials, he said at the G20 Summit in Rome, Italy, on Saturday.

He also asked the members to support the COVAX Facility program.

“The restructuring of the world health resilience architecture must be inclusive, and uphold the principles of solidarity, justice, transparency, and equality,” he said.

The architecture can be strengthened through the preparation of mechanisms to raise global health resources, such as funding, vaccine support, medicines, medical equipment, and health workers, to help countries resolve the health crisis, he added.

President said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has provided an example of how global financial funds can be raised to help countries facing a monetary crisis.

He then invited state leaders to arrange inter-state standard health protocols, including international travel protocols.

These three strategies, he said, are expected to strengthen the global health architecture.

The G20 is a global forum that was established in 1999.

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and Financial Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati accompanied the President to the G20 meeting.

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