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Indonesia pledges $50m to G20 pandemic preparedness fund
Health minister asks developed countries to chip in billions.
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Indonesia has committed to chipping in US$50 million to a financial intermediary fund (FIF) recently established by the Group of 20 nations that aims to address financing gaps for pandemic preparedness.
"If Indonesia, as a lower-middle[-income country], could donate $50 million to the fund, we hope that developed and high-income countries can donate some $1 billion or $2 billion to the FIF," Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Monday before the G20's second health working group in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.
According to the World Bank, a FIF is a financial arrangement that leverages public and private resources to enable the international community to provide a direct and coordinated response to global priorities.
Indonesia, which holds the G20 presidency this year, had been pushing for the establishment of a global health fund to help the world prepare for future pandemics.
In April, G20 countries reached a consensus to set up a multibillion dollar fund under an FIF scheme to be housed at the World Bank. Contributions to the FIF would be voluntary.
At the G20's second health working group meeting, Budi expressed hope that more members of the Group of 20 would contribute to the FIF to bolster the global health system.
"I wish to invite you all to become a part of this important goal," Budi said, as reported by Antara. "Countries that contributed to the FIF can receive direct benefits to support the transformation of their domestic health sector."
Budi said the G20 member states were finalizing the technicalities of the FIF, including determining its uses, who could access the fund and who would organize its distribution.
"We hope to finalize the FIF and all of its technicalities by September," he said.
Building global health architecture has been one of the major themes of Indonesia’s G20 presidency.
Earlier this year, Budi told The Jakarta Post that during its G20 presidency, the country aimed to create a global health fund of $15 billion per annum for 10 years for pandemic preparedness.
In April, the WHO and the World Bank estimated that the annual gap in pandemic preparedness funding was $10.5 billion and that any preparedness fund needed to be financed over five years, suggesting a fund of more than $50 billion.
The WHO said it was "critical" that the G20 fund did not undermine other public health funding and said it was important that the WHO had a decision-making role in the fund.
World Bank President David Malpass said there was "growing support" for the fund and that the body would work with the WHO and other partners on its establishment.
Indonesia is also seeking commitments from big manufacturers and pharmaceutical-producing countries to provide access to health emergency countermeasures – such as vaccines, drugs and diagnostic tools – if another global pandemic strikes.
The G20 member states are also aiming to coordinate global health protocols, to redistribute global manufacturing and research hubs and to integrate platforms for whole genome sequencing.
After the G20 meetings on Monday and Tuesday, member states agreed to use the Germany-based GISAID database to share the genetic data of viruses that had the potential to cause future pandemics.
