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[INSIGHT] Australia and Indonesia: Regional partners through a pandemic
Both our nations have felt the impact of the pandemic. Successive months of lockdown have weakened economic activity and eroded hard-won progress on development.
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![[INSIGHT] Australia and Indonesia: Regional partners through a pandemic](https://img.jakpost.net/c/2020/02/10/2020_02_10_86302_1581301445._large.jpg)
Indonesian President Joko Widodo (L) shakes hands with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison after signing the official visitors book at Parliament House in Canberra on Feb. 10, 2020. Australia and Indonesia on Feb. 10, 2020 announced a 100-day action plan to implement a long-awaited trade deal, a decade after negotiations began on the multi-billion-dollar agreement. ( AFP/Lukas Coch / POOL)
C
OVID-19 presents the greatest global challenge in our lifetime. It has caused unprecedented health and economic distress for countries across the globe and severely impacted our region.
The virus has been indiscriminate and knows no borders.
Both our nations have felt the impact of the pandemic. Successive months of lockdown have weakened economic activity and eroded hard-won progress on development.
In these challenging times, the strength of the relationship between Australia and Indonesia is more important than ever. As we reflect on the health, humanitarian and economic consequences of this pandemic, we must not lose sight of the many reasons to be optimistic about the future. We are confronting this crisis as partners, and because of this we will recover, together.
The global response has been unprecedented. The support provided by our two governments, and monetary authorities, has cushioned both our economies from what would have been a far deeper contraction.
In a positive sign, recent indicators show significant improvements in economic activity. A rebound is expected for the region in 2021. But the extent and durability of that rebound will depend on the trajectory of the pandemic and the availability and accessibility of a vaccine to all.
We have witnessed the rapid progress of this global scientific endeavor – the search for a COVID-19 vaccine. We should all be heartened by the global commitment to cooperation, including through the Group of 20, COVAX facility, GAVI and CEPI, and the commitment to an equitable distribution of any successful vaccine.
