VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta (VOI News) - Indonesia's Representative in the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) Yuyun Wahyuningsih encouraged ASEAN countries to promote the Human Rights (HAM) approach in handling the COVID-19 pandemic.  This was conveyed in a virtual seminar on the Protection of Fundamental Human Rights in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, held by The Habibie Center, Wednesday (22/04/2020) in Jakarta.

According to Yuyun, this effort can be done through a number of steps, including by utilizing the ASEAN Response Fund.  He said that the funds could be used to build Small and Medium Enterprises in the community.  While in terms of disaster management, she encouraged countries in ASEAN to increase cooperation in areas that directly touch the needs of the community such as food, clean water, and medicine.

“ASEAN needs to look at or to use human rights best approach and gender-sensitive in addressing COVID-19.  I welcome ASEAN initiatives to come up with joint medical research and development of a vaccine.  And I would like to suggest that the ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund to have the element or dimension to focus more on building the SMEs or reviving the SMEs and supporting women in the use of the funds.  And for the mitigating impact, ASEAN may want to have cooperation in relation to the essentials like food, clean water, medicines, and maximizing the digital technology,” Yuyun Wahyuningsih said.

Meanwhile related to social protection in ASEAN, Yuyun Wahyuningsih highlighted the importance of health protection for migrant workers who are widely available in ASEAN countries.  According to her, the migrant workers have become one of the victims affected by the COVID-19 pandemic when the destination country and country of origin imposed the quarantine.

Yuyun underlined the importance of health protection that is recognized equally in all ASEAN countries.  According to her, this can protect migrant workers wherever they work in all ASEAN member countries.

“ASEAN needs to strengthen its existing cooperation in relation to universal health coverage, especially for migrant workers.  ASEAN needs to come up with portable insurance, health insurance for migrant workers so they can be served anywhere they work, any country in ASEAN where they are working,” Yuyun added.

ASEAN member countries have earlier had a history of dealing with the spread of the SARS and MERS viruses. This experience, according to Yuyun, should be able to encourage countries in ASEAN to increase their response to the pandemic.  She also hoped that the countries in ASEAN could immediately share in the economy after the pandemic decrease and could restore market confidence in the ASEAN economic development efforts in the post-pandemic.  (VOI/Ndy/AHM)