The Group of 20 concluded its first Health Working Group (HWG) meeting on Wednesday with a unanimous agreement on the mutual recognition of digital COVID-19 vaccine certificates, along with a digital verification portal.

The three-day meeting was held in Yogyakarta.

HWG chair Maxi Rein Rondonuwu said the G20 countries’ commitment to the initiative, which was proposed by Indonesia, would make international travel easier as countries around the world gradually ease their mobility curbs and border restrictions.

“The discussion [on digital vaccine certificates] will be pivotal in ensuring that transportation and the global supply chain can run smoothly and also accelerate the global recovery,” Maxi said on Tuesday, adding that the initiative would also aid in reviving battered tourism businesses.

The system will use a format built by the World Health Organization and be able to store information on vaccination dates and doses in the form of a quick response (QR) code.

A digital portal developed by Indonesia for a universal verification system for the G20 members will then be able to scan the QR code to allow authorities at international borders to easily verify that travelers have received their jabs from authorized sources and the number of doses received.

Read also: Indonesia seeks to standardize global health protocols for travel

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