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Indonesia calls for ‘collective response’ as UN passes COVID-19 resolution

The United Nations General Assembly has passed a resolution on global solidarity in the fight against COVID-19. It was initiated by Indonesia, together with Ghana, Liechtenstein, Norway, Singapore and Switzerland, and cosponsored by 188 countries.

Apriza Pinandita (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Sat, April 4, 2020

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Indonesia calls for ‘collective response’ as UN passes COVID-19 resolution An illustration photo of a session of the UN General Assembly in New York, the United States. (Courtesy of kemlu.go.id/-)

I

ndonesia has applauded the United Nations General Assembly for passing a resolution on global solidarity in the fight against COVID-19 and is calling on member states to organize a collective response to the pandemic.

The resolution, titled “Global Solidarity to Fight COVID-19”, was passed by the UN General Assembly by acclamation on Thursday in New York and is the first UN resolution on COVID-19 since the World Health Organization declared the disease a pandemic on March 11. It was initiated by Indonesia, together with Ghana, Liechtenstein, Norway, Singapore and Switzerland, and cosponsored by 188 countries.

In a press release on Friday, the Foreign Ministry stressed the importance of international cooperation in dealing with the pandemic.

“In a worrying situation like this, we need unity, solidarity and international cooperation to give a fast and collective response toward the COVID-19 pandemic,” Foreign Ministry Retno LP Marsudi said, adding that there was no country that was immune to the virus, which has caused thousands of deaths worldwide.

Read also: Indonesia calls for support for first UN General Assembly resolution on COVID-19

The resolution sends a strong message to the international communities that the UN as a “universal organization” has a pivotal role in coordinating a global response, the release says, and that the UN must be able to communicate to the global communities that, without cooperation, solidarity and effective policy, no country will be able to survive the global health crisis.

Under the leadership of the UN, a number of global collective actions were drawn up in the resolution, including international cooperation to curb the spread of the virus, impact mitigation through information exchange and research cooperation. It also mentioned the importance of good governance of all countries in handling the crisis and emphasized the leadership of the WHO in coordinating with international communities.

“In particular, the resolution also gives appreciation to healthcare workers, medical professions and researchers that are continuously doing their job under a difficult situation,” the release states.

The resolution, cosponsored by 188 member states, was significant and the first of its kind in UN history, Indonesian Permanent Representative to the UN Dian Triansyah Djani said, highlighting that even during a pandemic was Indonesian diplomacy at the UN ongoing.

Read also: UN Security Council resumes activities under shadow of COVID-19

The voting of the resolution was conducted virtually as New York had imposed a statewide lockdown, Triansyah said.

There are more than 1 million COVID-19 cases and over 53,000 fatalities worldwide.

In the realm of global health, Indonesia has stepped up its role by chairing the Foreign Policy and Global Health Initiative – a multilateral forum that discusses and initiates actions on health issues. The forum consists of Brazil, Norway, France, Senegal, Thailand and Indonesia. Indonesia is also a member of the WHO executive board.

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