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Jokowi touts inclusiveness in second UNGA speech
The President chose to underline the importance of having richer countries alleviate the burden of less fortunate nations in a speech at the United Nations that touched on COVID-19, climate change and geopolitics.
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President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo remotely addresses the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 22, 2021, in New York. (AFP/Eduardo Munoz)
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ndonesia wants a reorganization of the global health-security architecture, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said in a speech at the United Nations on Wednesday, as the country continues to highlight the persistent gaps among nations in the fight against COVID-19 and climate change.
Addressing the UN General Assembly, Jokowi pointed to the fact that some countries simply have it better than others when it comes to the pandemic response, even though the adage that “no one is safe until everyone is safe” has become almost a cliché in pandemic discussions.
He called for the establishment of standardized global health protocols in cross-border activities, such as vaccine criteria, test results and other medical matters, as concrete steps toward ensuring that no one country is left behind.
“The capacity and pace among countries in tackling COVID-19, including in vaccinations, differ widely. Politicization and discrimination against vaccines continue to take place,” he said in a prerecorded video message.
“New mechanisms are required to mobilize global health resources, which include financing, vaccines, medicines and medical equipment, as well as healthcare workers worldwide, quickly and fairly.”
Indonesia has moved from being a laggard in its pandemic response, at one point this year even becoming the epicenter in Asia, to showing rapid signs of recovery that have spurred talks of easing curbs and the reopening of borders.
The country recently saw its lowest reproduction rate since the pandemic started, resulting in a significant decline in daily new virus infections by more than 90 percent. The reproduction rate measures the number of people who become infected from each positive case.
