President Jokowi Discusses Health Resilience, Economic Integration on 37th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits

14 November 2020 -

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) discussed various issues from health resilience to economic integration during the 37th ASEAN Summit and related summits. At the ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Summit, the President spoke on efforts to strengthen cooperation in the health sector. “Reflecting on the current pandemic, the President said that the APT needs to have regional health resilience mechanisms to deal with future pandemics. We must come out of this pandemic as winners,” Retno Marsudi, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister said. Jokowi stated the importance of establishing a comprehensive regional framework. This framework can be materialized in the form of a SoP system, an early warning system, a medical device availability system, and others. Therefore, the ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases is needed. The President closed the statement by saying that this pandemic has become a wakeup call to improve the national, regional and global health systems. Recover together recover stronger.

The Feasibility Study on the Establishment of “ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases” is currently on-going and supported by the Government of Japan through Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF).