VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

A smooth and sustainable post-pandemic recovery hinges on the ability of nations to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for the entire global population, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has said.

She made the remark in her opening address at the 14th Bali Democracy Forum (BDF), accessed from Jakarta on Thursday.

“We must maintain equitability to ensure that recovery will run fast. In a democracy, equitability is about justice, and in the context of the pandemic, it means giving all people an equal chance to win the battle against COVID-19,” the minister said.

With 28 different COVID-19 vaccines receiving emergency-use authorization, the world already has the weapon needed to put an end to the global pandemic and accelerate recovery, she highlighted.

Yet, equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for all people is sorely needed to ensure that the recovery runs well, she said.

“Unfortunately, the current global vaccination gap is still very large. Nearly 8.2 billion doses have been distributed on a global scale. However, 80 percent of them went to G20 member states, while low-income countries have received 0.4 percent,” she pointed out.

Judging by the gap, she stressed that democracy is needed in the global distribution of vaccines, with a special focus on those that have not received their first vaccine dose.

According to Marsudi, 64.94 percent of people in high-income countries have received at least the first dose compared to 8.06 percent of citizens in low-income countries.

The Indonesian government has made every effort to ensure that all levels of the community have equitable access to vaccines, she said. Over 142 million Indonesians have been vaccinated so far, she added.

“This is a huge effort but our commitment does not fade away. We have cut bureaucratic obstacles to ensure easier access to vaccines. We also have involved various parties to accelerate our vaccination campaigns,” Marsudi said.

Indonesia’s commitment to equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines is also being realized at the global level through its role as co-chair of the COVAX AMC Engagement Group and will be demonstrated during its G20 presidency in 2022, she added.

Indonesia is determined to raise the issue of strengthening global health architecture during its G20 presidency, she said. (Antaranews)