VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The EU Ambassador to ASEAN, Igor Driesmans                                                                                                                                                                                EU Embassy in Indonesia

To address the health and socio-economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, the European Union has restructured its programs in Southeast Asia, focusing specifically on the need for public communication and research.Take for instance, the European Union's support for Indonesia is to involve digital solutions to track government spending on the Covid-19 pandemic and help ensure transparency and accountability of the budget.In a virtual press briefing on Wednesday (02/12), the EU Ambassador to ASEAN, Igor Driesmans said that the European Union has committed to preparing 500 million Euros to improve the multilateral Covid-19 facilities.

“We feel that European will not be safe unless the entire world is safe and for us this is not just a slogan but we have translated this also in budgetary commitment so the commitment mentions 500 million euro for the covid facilities, a multilateral facilities. It is agreed and we’ll not be put in danger by any budget constraint within European Union that a financial decision has already been made. And at the same time we want to make sure that access to vaccines around the world, especially Asean easier. And that’s why we want to engage in this dialogue with all the 10 ASEAN countries starting on 8th of December because all of these elements are technical”  The Ambassador said. 

The Pandemic Emergency Preparedness and Response Program in Southeast Asia will be implemented by the World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with the central governments of ASEAN countries and the ASEAN Secretariat.This program aims to improve regional coordination for the response to the Covid-19 pandemic and strengthen the capacity of health systems in Southeast Asia, while at the same time providing a special focus on vulnerable groups.The 42-month program will strengthen monitoring and testing capacity in ASEAN countries, as well as the capacity of health institutions and health workers in dealing with the Covid-19 cases, while still providing other essential health services.This program will also support transparent and timely communication about the pandemic, and support the delivery of information related to prevention measures, symptoms and risks of the disease to people living in rural and remote areas//NK