VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Bogor (VOI News) - Indonesian President Joko Widodo attended the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Virtual Summit on Monday (05/04/2020) at the Presidential Palace, which specifically discussed the handling of Covid-19. This summit was held to coincide with the commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the Dasasila Bandung in 2020 and the 60th anniversary of the founding of the NAM in 2021. After accompanying the President, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said that the NAM Virtual Summit produced a declaration that raised concerns about the spread and impact of Covid-19. The NAM Summit Declaration also acknowledged that the most affected by Covid-19 were poor and vulnerable countries. According to Retno, this will result in a setback in the development that has been carried out by developing countries and will make it difficult to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

"In addition, the declaration also emphasized support for multilateralism and WHO in handling Covid-19. Related to this declaration also welcomed the resolution of the UN General Assembly number 74/270 related to the global solidarity to fight Covid-19, one of the initiators was Indonesia. The declaration also emphasized the importance of solidarity and cooperation including in ensuring the availability of drugs and medical equipment and preventing Covid-19's negative impact on the economy,” Retno LP Marsudi said.

Retno Marsudi further said that the Declaration on the results of the GNB Virtual Summit also raised the importance of information exchange and best practices related to handling Covid-19. The declaration also mentioned the need to revoke the application of unilateral mechanisms that are considered not in accordance with international law and the UN charter. This is intended so that the handling of Covid-19 can be done effectively. Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi also mentioned the agreement on the formation of a Non-Aligned Movement task force.

"Another thing emphasized in the declaration is the agreement on the formation of the NAM task force. The task of this task force is to compile a database of medical and humanitarian needs of the NAM country to be forwarded to the donor countries and organizations. Retno Marsudi continued.

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi explained that with the agreement on the formation of the Non-Aligned Movement task force, the Declaration of the Non-Aligned Movement Virtual Summit was not only a political statement but also produced concrete ideas in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. (VOI / Ndy / AHM)